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Alex would be 31 years old today if her vibrant life had not been tragically cut short due to a post-infectious neuroimmune disease usually referred to as PANDAS or PANS. Everything changed in a matter of hours. On Monday morning in August 2018, Alex was a cheery 26-year-old — who talked to us about her plans for a busy day at work and coming home for the weekend –but later that night, she was an anxiety-ridden, agitated person who had fallen prey to old obsessions and compulsions. By the late afternoon of the next day — unbeknownst to anyone and without precedence – her condition so rapidly deteriorated that she experienced an acute neurological episode and she lost her precious life.

We are confident that Alex would be with us today if her condition had been diagnosed sooner and if we had better understood it. In response to her death, we immediately established a fund in Alex’s name with the goal that no life ever again be cut short – or interrupted — by any post-infectious neuroimmune disorder. Our fund grew quickly. In October 2021, we assembled an engaged and committed board of directors to help us to continue our mission of raising awareness, providing education, and raising funds for research on these insidious conditions, with a focus on adolescents and young adults.

How to support our work:

The Alex Manfull Fund supports awareness, education, and research (including brain research through the POND Brain Bank). We seek to further understand the incidence, etiology, and treatment of immune-mediated neuropsychiatric disorders (aka PANDAS, PANS, Autoimmune Encephalitis, and Basal Ganglia Encephalitis). We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; all gifts to our fund are tax-deductible to the full extent permitted by law.

With your help, we will make a difference in the lives of many people suffering from PANDAS and PANS. A gift to The Alex Manfull Fund is actually a gift to give a young person back their life. Please give generously.

We are grateful for your support.

To review our accomplishments for 2022, please click here.

PANDAS/PANS Symposium in Portsmouth, New Hampshire