Support my son, Emran’s, Recovery

My son, Emran, Needs Your Help

My name is Najwa, I am 68 years old and mother of 23 year-old, Emran. Today, I would like to ask you to help him recover from and survive grave illnesses.

At age 7, in second grade, Emran developed leg pain that stopped him from playing sports he loved. A few months after this happened, he got his first Episode of PANS and PANDAS (Auto Immune Encephalitis) Acute Pediatric Neuropsychiatric Syndrome. He turned from a gifted, happy and vivacious child into a crazed, irritable, unreasonable and unpredictable child. His father and I, were devastated. We had him tested at school, at different medical facilities and he was diagnosed with ADHD. But his many non ADHD psychiatric symptoms and excruciating pain in his leg put us in search of more specialized diagnosis and treatment .

We took Emran to the Pediatric Psychiatric clinic at Stanford University, California. There he was misdiagnosed with Pediatric Bipolar Disorder and was put on 13 psychiatric for 6 years, but they did not abate his acute psychiatric disorders. Our lives and his especially became full of trauma. From too many medications, Emran developed kidney disease and renal failure. My heart breaks every time he says, “I hate my life, I don’t want to live anymore.”One morning at age 13, he woke up with excruciating pain not only in his leg but also all over his body. We again took him to doctors to no avail.

At the age of 15, Emran’s father died and our lives shattered.

The Pediatric Bipolar Clinic at Stanford at that time had teamed up with researchers from the PANS clinic at Stanford as they noticed some of their psychiatric patients had unexplained acute pain. Emran, at the PANS clinic was re-diagnosed with PANS, the auto-immune diseases of Arthritis and Fibromyalgia which cause acute pain 24 hours a day, in the nerves of the soft tissue of his body. Fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disease, in children also causes PANS Pediatric Acute Neuropsychiatric Syndrome. It was explained that when Emran contracts any kind of infection, his immune system instead of attacking the infection it attacks the Basal Ganglia, the stem of his brain which in turn inflames all of his brain so that he has little control over his physical, social, emotional or mental abilities.

Antibiotics are given to him now for bacterial infections only but he cannot take anything for brain inflammation caused by other viruses or even common allergies that cause brain inflammation. Soon after his diagnosis at age fifteen, his father died suddenly. Both Emran and I contracted PTSD from ongoing acute trauma and our sudden loss.

Emran cannot take pharmaceutical pain relievers because of his kidney disease and because they are highly addictive narcotics. We turned to alternatives and found that CBD works very well for inflammation and nerve pain, but it is not covered by insurance.

CBD is very costly since he has to take large quantities to feel relief. We have spent every penny we have on his treatment.

Recently, Emran contracted long term COVID and was told because of his illness, he could not take medications for it. I truly thought I would lose him. On top of all this, 2 weeks ago he contracted a stomach flu which created further suffering for Emran with more inflammations in his brain and body. My whole retirement check was spent on his care in the first 10 days of this month, and we have nothing till the end of the month.

We now desperately need your help to make it to the next paycheck while he recovers. I reach out to you from the depth of my heart to help me raise funds for Emran’s treatment until I get paid again.

Any amount you can pitch in is appreciated.

MY goal is to raise $4000, to help us get through the month until my next pay check.

With love and gratitude, I thank you for considering a donation in any amount to help my son, Emran.