Lana's story

Lana is an 11 yr old little girl whose life changed almost overnight back in December 23.

Please read below to see how Lana went from a happy healthy child to a child who is left bed bound for weeks, loses her mobility, struggles with severe tic episodes which last hours and now Lana is also struggling to speak.

As a Xmas gift for Lana she was taken to Disney Land Paris on 30th Nov 23. She was so excited, she went on every rollercoaster. Her only disappointment was not being tall enough to go on the Indiana Jones ride. She returned from holiday the 3rd of December.

The next day when Lana returned to school. Lana's mam received a call to say Lana was unwell and couldn't walk home from school. From that day on Lana has been poorly.

Within a few weeks Lana was having episodes of tics which could last hours and look similar to seizures. She loses her ability to walk and speak. Due to this Lana has not spent much time at school.

Lana was taken to the Drs who decided her problem was anxiety and referred her to camhs. Lana's mam and dad did not agree after seeing her on all those rides at Disney Land.

Lana was taken to several different GPs and has had 2 hospital admissions since December she has been given an MRI and an EEG and had loads of blood tests done but she is still undiagnosed. The only thing found in her bloods tests were low vitamin d and a streptococcal infection.

At their wits end Lana's parents began doing their own research and discovered a condition called PANS PANDAS which causes all the symptoms Lana is suffering and caused by a streptococcal infection.

PANS PANDAS is a very rare condition that many Drs are unaware of. The streptococcal infection hides so well that when your antibodies try to fight the infection they attack your own healthy cells. These cells are attacked in the basal ganglia which is the part of the brain that controls movement. Hence why the condition affects her mobility and triggers tic episodes.

There are only 4 Drs in the UK who treat PANDAS and they are all still learning about the condition. Lana has no choice but to go private.

PANDAS is a condition that if treated in time children can make a full recovery but if left too long the child can be left with long term brain damage that can cause life long problems.

Lana's private consultation with her Dr can cost between £300 to £600 depending on the urgency of the appointment. This is before Lana receives any treatment. Lana can't get health insurance as this is an ongoing illness. Please help as Lana is running out of time to get a full recovery.