Maura Heckmann and her son, Chris
Eleven-year-old Chris Heckmann was healthy and in good spirits when his mother, Maura, left him with friends for the night. But when she returned, 24 hours later, her son was unrecognizable. Stricken with paranoia, he refused to eat and paced around the family room, fear in his eyes.
At first, doctors thought Chris had obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). But he was ultimately diagnosed with PANDAS, a controversial neuropsychiatric disorder thought to be related to routine childhood strep infections. Here, Maura tells the story of her son’s rapid decent into illness, and his road to recovery. [click to continue…]
