WOW, the Symposium was Everything we Hoped for, and MORE....

Who can describe the synergy and electricity pulsing through the symposium, or the joy and relief at meeting so many other parents who are on the same courageous -howbeit bizarre- journey?

We are so pleased at how it all turned out, over 80 participants from 4 countries and 10 states, coming together to learn and to comfort and to brainstorm and empower each other to keep going no matter what they call PANS or PANDAS next month or next year, no matter who believes it or doesn't believe it, no matter how far and wide we have to travel for care and for answers.

Please continue to check back in the coming days. We will be posting notes and photos from the event and continue this journey together.  We do have a video of the conference we will be reviewing and figuring out how to make the talks available on this website.

If you came to the symposium - you will be receiving an email shortly with a link to a post-conference survey.  We would greatly appreciate your input and we will use it to make the next symposium better and more available.

Amy will be in touch with all of you who are interested in advocacy - taking our ideas and our group energy and using it to push the needs of our PANS/PANDAS children forward.

Finally, we wish to thank our sponsors and donors for their assistance we greatly needed!  We will be adding a Thank You page very shortly.

Many blessings to you all,
The Symposium Organizers
Amy Smith
Ann Honigman
Jamie Candelaria-Greene
Eric Dyssegard
Sarah Alleman
Vicki Blavat
Tricia Lord
Diana Pohlman

Symposium Agenda

10am  Opening and Welcome—Amy Joy Smith, NP and Special Guest

10:15  Sarah Jane Alleman       

           Who We Are: Survey Results                                                      

10:30  Diana Pohlman                                                                                                                PandaNetwork.org—Parent Reports & Directions in Future Research

11:15  Dr. Sunjya Schweig, MD.                                                                                 

Integrative Medicine Approach to PANS/PANDAS/PITANDS

12:15  Dr. Dritan Agalliu, PhD.                                                                                    

The Blood Brain Barrier in Health and Disease

1pm    LUNCH

2pm    Don Pohlman, MS.                                                                                            

    Living & Coping with PANDAS/PANS—Impact on the Family

             Dr. Margo Thienemann, MD and Don Pohlman, MS.

                 Voicing our Collective Journey: A Facilitated Discussion on Life with PANDAS/PANS                   

  

3pm    Dr. Margo Thienemann, MD.

                Why YOU Are Here—Parenting and PANDAS

                                                                                                    

3:45    Dr. Jamie Candelaria-Greene, PhD.                                                                          

               From Crayons to College—PANDAS/PANS in the School Setting

             Dr. Ann Honigman, DC, MPH. 

                 Issues Facing Teens & Young Adults in School

                                                                                    

4:45    Amy Smith, NP.  

             Advocacy Directions

5pm    Adjourn

5:30    Flock to the Embassy Suites Lounge for Discussions and Vivation:                         

             Dr Jamie Candelaria-Greene, PhD—Education; Amy Smith, NP—Advocacy

               Clarise Lyon, MA—Sensory Integration Therapy                                    

Final Approach to the Symposium!

Today is the last day to register for the symposium, send your child's photo or artwork, and complete the survey.

If you need help with any of those things, please look on this website or contact pandassymposium@gmail.com.

We have an incredible lineup of speakers and events, and couldn't be more enthusiastic and honored to welcome you.

Check back tomorrow for Event Updates.

The Symposium is only Two Weeks Away!

If you are already registered you should have received an email with a link to an anonymous online Survey- if you haven't had a chance to fill it out yet, please do it as soon as possible.  If you haven't received an email with the survey link in it, please contact us at PandasSymposium@gmail.com and put the word SURVEY in the subject line.  Thank you very much for your support with this.  The survey will help us collect information about PANDAS specific issues and use it to make our lives and our children's lives better.

Please join us for our Pre- and Post-Symposium Gatherings:
  -Friday evening, we will meet in the lounge between 5-7pm.  A Happy Hour reception is included in the room rate, and we plan on using it to meet and enjoy each other's company.
  -Saturday morning, whomever is staying in the hotel may meet up for breakfast - or maybe a walk along the waterfront trail before the event to clear our heads.
  -Saturday evening, after the Symposium, we will meet up again in the lounge to finish our discussions and network and unwind and integrate our day.
  -Sunday morning, there is one last chance at breakfast to say hello and good-bye to our PANDAS parent brothers and sisters before we had back to our worlds.

Sharing Our Collective Journey
Whether or not you are attending the Symposium, you are invited to send a photo of your child to be included in our collage.  Please check the right-side panel of this website under Sharing Our Collective Journey for details!  Please submit your photos by 4/22.

Use only this link to reserve your room at Embassy Suites

PANDAS Parent Symposium Reservations - Embassy Suites.

Our discounted room block for the event has been extended through Friday April 13.  However, the price has gone up a little bit.

Each room is a 2-room suite and available for $135/night. This rate is still discounted from the standard rate and our hotel coordinator said he will also upgrade the rooms to a water view since he can't extend our old rate any longer.

The room includes a full made-to-order breakfast, discounted parking and a Happy Hour reception with cocktails and light snacks that we will use for networking on Friday evening for those coming in the night before the event, and on Saturday evening directly following the symposium.

The hotel is only a few minutes from San Francisco Airport and there is a Free Shuttle to and from the airport and hotel.  See the hotel website for details on the shuttle. If you have any questions, call the hotel.

**Use ONLY the above link to make your reservations, or call the hotel.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING for someone to share a suite with on either Friday or Saturday night let us know and we'll hook you up.

Scholarships Available!!

Don't sit at home and fret if you're not sure you can pull the funds together to attend the symposium!

Because of the generosity of several PANDAS parents and families, plus a growing number of corporate sponsors, we are proud to be able to offer several scholarships!

None of us can make it alone. Being the parent of a child with PANDAS can be stressful and isolating, and all the medical bills can tap out anyone's wallet. Please don't hesitate to contact us for assistance.

You will SO HAPPY you went to the Symposium...it is going to ROCK.

 Just send an email with your contact info to PandasSymposium@gmail.com with SCHOLARSHIP in the subject line. We will keep your information private.

Reserve Your Room NOW

Don't miss out - reserve a wonderful room for $119/night at Embassy Suites - please scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page to reserve your room using ONLY that link for the reservation process.

Even if you are not 100% sure you can make it to the event - maybe you're worried your child will flare at the last minute - you can always cancel the reservation, but once the rooms are gone that's it. The hotel will be releasing our room block on April 8, and will still honor our discounted rate but have told us they believe the rooms will sell out fast because they have a number of other events that same weekend. So reserve NOW.