In early 2021 my little cousin Sophie who is now 11 fell ill rather suddenly. Sophie has several underlying health conditions including cerebral palsy and PVL but was the happiest and most content child EVER! As if a switch had been flicked, Sophie completely changed overnight. She could no longer recognise her own parents, was having hallucinations, would no longer leave the house and hasn't been at school since June 2021, a place she always loved.

 

NHS doctors have been at a loss as to what caused this sudden change and put it down to mental health. CAMHS psychiatrists, a private doctor and her family knew this could not be accurate as a mental health condition doesn't develop overnight and there were no previous signs. After months of personal research it was determined that their only choice was to go private. They found a doctor who had experience with children suffering from PANDAS , which is what it was determined Sophie was suffering from. After several tests he discovered she had strep and HSV. He then explained that she "would be a complicated case" because of her additional needs.

 

The Private doctor Sophie was seeing was able to help to a certain degree but unfortunately she keeps relapsing, which shows we haven't got to the root cause of the issue. She has now been referred on to a private immunologist who specialises in immune mediated conditions. These private consultations can cost upwards of £450 an hour not to mention the tests which can cost £5,000 or more. The family have spent roughly £3,500 over the last few months and are still no closer to her being able to return to "Sophie's normality".

 

For this reason I have decided to help fund Sophie's ongoing treatment and will be running the Hever Castle Marathon in Kent on the 3rd of July 2022. All donations are very welcome and if you're not able to donate at this time, a share would be welcomed! We want to raise awareness for conditions such as PANDAS which is not currently recognised by the majority of NHS professionals.

 

Thank you taking the time to read, donate to and share Sophie's story!