Dedham Resident Walks for Daughter with PANS/PANDAS

After being sick for a brief time with a virus, Boston Police Officer Leanne Teehan’s daughter Devyn went from a 7th grade student who was the light of everyone’s life, athletic, and a completely healthy and happy adolescent to someone who was unrecognizable. She stopped going to school, became nonverbal, and didn’t engage with friends or family. Teehan and her husband Paul worked diligently to figure out what had happened to their formerly typically developing, good natured, and jovial daughter. After months of misdiagnosis and failed treatments, Devyn was finally diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS.

Teehan’s story is similar to that of up to 33,000 (or one in 200) children in Massachusetts who suffer today from what is now known as Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (P.A.N.D.A.S.) or Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (P.A.N.S). Most are misdiagnosed with mental health illness by medical professionals rather than looking for the root cause.

On Saturday, Oct. 5, Teehan and her daughter will participate in the Look. Foundation’s inaugural Look. Walk. She will be among supporters of all ages, elected officials and likeminded organizations, who will hit the pavement around Boston Common to collectively raise $100,000 to support children and young adults battling PANS/PANDAS.

Children like Devyn transform and needlessly suffer because they are being misdiagnosed for mental health, tic and/or behavioral disorders, such as OCD, ADHD, anxiety, and depression, leaving families devastated and in a perpetual state of crisis. Often, these children and young adults are relegated to a life of symptom management, escalating medical bills and anguish when a cure is possible.

“I am so grateful to all of the families who have gone before us,” says Teehan, a Dedham resident who initially turned to the Look. Foundation for resources for her family and recently ran the Cohasset Triathlon to raise funds for the nonprofit. “I feel like we are relatively lucky that we are on a path to recovery. Devyn has a long way to go, but when I think about the families who have gone for years and years without a diagnosis or treatment, I just feel grateful that we are where we are and we have organizations like Look. Foundation to thank which is why I’m walking in the first ever Look. Walk.”

Senator Patrick O’Connor and State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian, longtime advocates for PANS/PANDAS, will be among participants who will walk the 3K loop around Boston Common for the cause. The one-day fundraiser kickoff with an opening ceremony to include actress Kaila Caulfield, known for her recent role in the movie “CODA,” filmed in Gloucester who will sing the National Anthem, and remarks. A celebration at Parkman Bandstand with family-friendly activities, music and food trucks will follow.

“We’re thrilled to host the first Look Walk, uniting hundreds in support of the PANS/PANDAS community,” says Look. Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Vitelli, who has three children with PANS/PANDAS. “This event is about raising awareness, offering hope, and finding answers during a mental health crisis. PANS/PANDAS can isolate families. Seeing the 'TEAM Look' banners and walkers in Look t-shirts will remind everyone that they’re part of a larger, supportive community. With proper diagnosis and treatment, healing is possible. It promises to be a powerful and unforgettable day.”

Since 2017, Look. Foundation has allocated over $300,000 in healing grants, making them the nation's sole non-profit that directly aids families for this specific cause. For more information, to register for the Look. Walk or to make a donation, visit: www.lookfoundation.org.