Terra and Ben Luscombe of Southampton. Ben has been diagnosed with PANDAS - Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus.

Hub Staff

Southampton mother Terra Luscombe is fighting for her son 6 year old Ben’s health as he has been living with PANDAS - Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus , for the past three years. The single mother has set up a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising $15,000 to cover for medical and travel expenses to visit Rheumatology experts on the disease at Alberta’s Children's Hospital as specialists in Washington D.C., as Terra said there are no specialists available in Ontario. At the time of publishing the page has raised just over $2,500.

The Port Elgin Veterinary Clinic is also running a fundraiser to help with Ben’s medical costs. In addition to collecting donations, the clinic is selling key chains in panda, bone and mice shapes on which a pet’s name can be inscribed.

PANDAS is a disorder that describes children who have an abrupt onset of Tics or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder following a strep infection.

On the detailed GoFundMe page Terra paints a picture of numerous visits to hospitals where Ben has received “hospital stays, an MRI, CT Scan, Lumbar Puncture and numerous EEGs and blood work.” She goes onto say that the pair has been to London Health Sciences Neurology, MAC Neurology, Thames Valley Children Centre Developmental Pediatrician, and the Psychiatry, Paediatric Outpatient, Infectious Disease and Neurology departments of the Hospital for Sick Children.

The list of symptons that Ben has experienced is long and includes choreiform movements (repetitive, jerky movements), generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, tics (motor and vocal), separation anxiety, sleep difficulties, emotional labiality (irritability, aggression, rage, inability to control tears or laughter), and behavioural and developmental regression. He has also experienced seizures resulting in damage to his visual and auditory processing.

For more information about PANDAS visit pandasnetwork.org. To contribute to the Luscombe’s GoFundMe page or for more information visit gofundme.com/ben-luscombes-pandas-treatment.

Artwork by Ben is an example of how PANDAS has affected him. In the top picture he has strep while the bottom picture was drawn a couple of weeks prior.