Real youth, real stories.

True stories and wisdom from children, teens, and young adults who continue to fight and thrive despite experiencing the debilitating symptoms of PANS/PANDAS.

DISCLAIMER:the National PANDAS/PANS Youth Alliance is a youth advocacy organization that is NOT licensed to distribute medical advice or prescribe treatments. Any medical content, treatments or remedies that you read of in the following stories (and our entire site) should not be undergone unless it has been prescribed or recommended to you or your child by your healthcare provider.

Click on the text to read the full interviews!

“[I] want to be able to diagnose kids who were just like me, as a neurologist, in my future.”

-Mackenzie, 15, New York

A young person with curly reddish-brown hair, wearing a nose ring and a t-shirt with a plant pattern, sitting against a purple background with text about their experience with PANS, a brief interview invitation, and the logo of the National Pandas/PANS Youth Alliance.
An elderly man with gray hair smiling and hugging a young girl with curly hair, who is holding a sippy cup, in a decorated room for a birthday celebration.
Young woman smiling while holding a proclamation document from Baltimore County Executive, seated in a chair, with a lamp on her right side in a room with beige walls.
Young woman standing outdoors by a river, smiling, wearing a white T-shirt and a blue floral dress, sunglasses on her head, with trees and a bridge in the background.
Young girl sitting in a hospital bed, wearing a face mask, flexing her arm showing a muscle, with an IV inserted in her arm, giving a confident smile.

“I still have frequent, severe flares, but I have found ways to manage it and I am still able to pursue my dreams!”

- Gabby, 20, New York

A young woman in a white dress smiling and posing outdoors near a palm tree with a blue sky and clouds in the background.
A young woman with brown hair lies on a black couch, resting her head on a red pillow, and looks at the camera with a gentle smile.
A young woman with brown hair and blue eyes smiling, wearing a black graduation gown with a red embroidery that reads 'STJU', standing outdoors with a city skyline in the background during daytime.
A young woman with blonde hair wearing a red dress and sneakers skateboarding outdoors on a sunny day with trees and a blue sky in the background.
Young woman with blonde hair and sunglasses on her head smiling while sitting at an outdoor wooden table on a sunny day

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