What happens when a routine childhood cold turns your sweet eight-year-old into a full-blown horror movie scene overnight? Sickboy royalty Jessica Slice returns to the show for an intimate, terrifying, and wildly eye-opening conversation about the nightmare her family lived through when her daughter suddenly stopped walking, lost her speech, and entered a state of extreme, violent psychosis.
When ER doctors brushed off her daughter's sudden motor tics with a casual "kids are weird" and offered to throw an eight-year-old into an adult psych ward alongside an adult roommate, Jessica refused to take broken systems for an answer. Enter PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) - a controversial, deeply misunderstood condition where a basic infection triggers an immune response that crosses the blood-brain barrier and sets off neuroinflammation in the brain.
From mysterious motor spasms to stealth trips across the border for IVIG treatment, Jessica gives us a raw, unfiltered look at relentless maternal advocacy, medical gaslighting, and the fight to save her daughter's mind.
For physician-vetted resources on PANS/PANDAS or to follow Jessica's writing and advocacy work, check out the links below:
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