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Senator big help to special needs child

I am the parent of a child with a misunderstood autoimmune disorder that impacts both his physical and mental health with potentially devastating consequences, and I am grateful that state Sen. Tom Cullerton has provided our community with a voice.

My child has PANDAS/PANS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus and Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome). These disorders are the result of an abnormal immune response to common infections, such as strep throat, walking pneumonia, mono and others. It can result in a dramatic onset of obsessive compulsive disorder, restricted food intake, anxiety, emotional lability and/or depression, irritability or aggression, behavioral regression, deterioration in academic performance, ADHD-like symptoms and cognitive changes, sensory or motor abnormalities including tics or choreiform movements, sleep disturbances, enuresis, or urinary frequency. This is an infection-mediated illness with a psychiatric presentation, requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment to give children the best chance at a full recovery.

I accustomed to having to fight, sometimes fervently, to have our needs in the community met. Our very first experience with Senator Cullerton was very different from the fight, which we are used to fighting. He and his staff listened to a group of our PANDAS/PANS parents with genuine concern, and actually began to work for us and the members of his constituency before we even left his office.

His guidance and determination in passing both PA 99-0320 to create an Advisory Council on PANDAS/PANS and Senate Resolution 237 to give our community a formally recognized Awareness Day were invaluable toward our goal to create a better understanding of PANDAS/PANS throughout Illinois. As we approach Oct. 9, our fourth annual PANDAS/PANS Awareness Day in the State of Illinois, all I can say is thank you, Senator Cullerton. The state and your constituents are lucky to have you in their corner.

Eliza Sienkiewicz

Glendale Heights

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