When Heather Korbmacher’s 10-year-old son began having extreme emotional responses to otherwise normal situations, she began to wonder what was happening to her child. When these responses erupted into violent rages, severe panic attacks, debilitating anxiety and phobias, an inability to eat, and a rigid need for everything to be just right, this mother knew something was profoundly wrong.
In this true story, one mother shares her journey to find healing for her son and her family. She unpacks the terrifying heartache of suddenly losing the son she once knew, the fierce battle that a parent endures to save a child, and the peace of finding health and a new normal.
You will be moved by the courage of Heather’s determination to find answers, save her son, and take back control of her life. You will find hope and guidance as you read this account of one family’s quest for healing. You will be inspired to fight your own battles, knock down barriers, and ultimately find your own peace.
Heather Korbmacher is a dedicated mother and fierce advocate for families living with PANDAS/PANS/AE. She resides in Bellingham, WA with her loving husband and two tenacious children. Connect with her at Courageous Parent.com
A portion of the proceeds will go to support PANDAS Network, dedicated to improving diagnosis and treatment of children with PANDAS/PANS/AE.
विषयसूची
Foreword by Diana Pohlman
Second Foreword by Carla Atherton, MA
Author’s Note
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Part One: Onset – The Road to Hell
Chapter 1 Flight 471
Chapter 2 Perfect Parents
Chapter 3 The Flu
Chapter 4 Dis-Ease
Chapter 5 Difficult Stages
Chapter 6 It’s Happening
Chapter 7 Las Flores Ranch
Part Two: Diagnosis – The Solitary Path
Chapter 8 You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me!
Chapter 9 I Want Resources
Chapter 10 The Darkness
Chapter 11 Mental Breakdown
Chapter 12 Downton Abbey
Chapter 13 Could This Be PANS?
Chapter 14 My Angels
Chapter 15 Will He Mind You?
Chapter 16 Strep!
Part Three: Treatment – The Long Journey
Chapter 17 Lost Summer
Chapter 18 FMLA
Chapter 19 Transition
Chapter 20 Calm in the Middle of the Storm
Chapter 21 Hardly Home Schooling
Chapter 22 911
Chapter 23 The Flood
Chapter 24 Intravenous Immunoglobulin
Chapter 25 He’s Back!
Chapter 26 Layers of Healing
Chapter 27 Almost There
Chapter 28 Time Is an Ally
Part Four: Resources – The Road Map
Chapter 29 Reflections
Chapter 30 New Beginnings
Chapter 31 The Road Map
Appendix A Symptoms
Appendix B Symptom Scales
Appendix C Immunological Workup
Appendix D Resources
Appendix E Treatment Options
Appendix F Overturning Insurance Denial
Notes
About the Author
लेखक के बारे में
Heather Korbmacher, an Author, Educator, Speaker, Coach, and Advocate, earned a Master’s degree in Exceptional Children, is a National Board Certified Teacher, and founder of Courageous Educational Services, LLC. She is a certified Right Response instructor, Life Space Crisis Intervention senior instructor, and a WA Re EDucation instructor with over 20 years of experience working with children with challenging behaviors. Heather utilizes her practical skills, training, and expertise to raise awareness about PANDAS/PANS/AE and to empower parents and professionals alike to support the children they care for. Heather’s advocacy for families living with this illness includes being a member of the PANDAS Network Board of Directors where she works tirelessly to further research, raise awareness, and save the lives of children like her son. Her goal is to be a part of change that will remove the stigma around mental illness, break down barriers to appropriate treatment, and bridge the divide between medicine and psychiatry. She resides in Bellingham, WA with her loving husband and two tenacious children.