The Sakonnet River Bridge will be lit green on Friday, Oct. 9, as part of an international campaign marking World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day.
The bridge is the only Rhode Island landmark in the #LightUp4PANS campaign, now in its third year, organized by the Alliance to Solve PANS and Immune-Related Encephalopathies with 17 other advocacy organizations. More than 300 landmarks worldwide are participating, including Niagara Falls, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Nebraska State Capitol.
PANS and PANDAS are neuroinflammatory conditions that can bring on sudden or newly worsening obsessive-compulsive symptoms, severe anxiety, tics and other neuropsychiatric symptoms. The alliance says the conditions remain under-recognized by the public and by medical providers, which can delay diagnosis and treatment.
“Lighting landmarks green is about more than awareness,” said Gabriella True, the alliance’s president. “It is about making PANS and PANDAS visible so that families are heard, healthcare providers recognize the signs, and patients have a better chance of getting the care they need.”
Dr. Susan Swedo, a neuroscientist who has researched the conditions, said in the release that early treatment matters. “The faster you treat, the faster they can get well,” she said.
The alliance is a nonprofit that works on education, advocacy, support and research related to the conditions. More information is at aspire.care.
