I am joining the PANS PANDAS UK community this July and taking on a challenge to support families affected by PANS and PANDAS.

I will be attempting to swim the length of Lake Geneva. A 70km swim that will take around 24 hours. I attempted the swim last year but unfortunately after 56km and 18 hours of swimming I had to get pulled out of the water with hypothermia.

I cannot give up up completing this swim. I'm inspired by the children with PANS/PANDAS and the parents and families that support and fight for their children everyday. The children can't give up and the families can't give up which is why I can't give up on this challenge!

PANS PANDAS UK are the only UK charity created to educate the medical community and general public about these conditions with a view to ensuring better diagnosis and early effective treatment for those affected with these little recognised but life changing conditions. My son was diagnosed with PANDAS when he was just 18 months old so I have seen first hand how important the work that the charity do is.

Thank you!

Read on to find out why I have chosen to take on such an extreme challenge for PANS PANDAS UK.

My son Jack caught tonsillitis at 18 months old and his behaviour drastically changed over night. He went to bed a happy, healthy little boy and woke up someone we didn't recognise. Jack developed aggression, OCD, a tic, refused to eat and became scared to even leave the house.

The scariest part was that nobody could offer a diagnosis or help bring Jack back to us. We spent years visiting doctors and googling help, whilst Jack kept having recurring tonsillitis and his symptoms became progressively worse. We finally came across a family sharing their own story of PANDAS. We found the doctor who had helped their son and within weeks of treatment Jack's symptoms had dramatically improved.

Jack is now a happy and healthy 8 year old boy and thriving at school and in his sports. We know how lucky we are that Jack is doing so well and is currently symptom free. It is because of this I want to share our story and complete this swim so hopefully it can help other families who are desperate to find a diagnosis for their children.

Please support my challenge as every single penny counts. Help PANS PANDAS UK to be there for more families.