CalCoalition for Pans/Pandas Advocacy

09/08/2026

Literacy is more than learning to read.

It is discovering that words can take you somewhere you have never been. That a story can make you feel less alone. That someone else’s life can become a little more understandable when we meet them on the page.

As founder of Rosewood & Quill Press, I believe deeply in the quiet power of books. To open minds, preserve voices, awaken imagination, and help us understand one another.

Every reader deserves that possibility.

Every story begins with the chance to be read.

On International Literacy Day, may we keep putting books into hands, stories into the world, and possibility within reach. 🌿

📖 A little history: International Literacy Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1966 and first celebrated in 1967. This year marks its 60th anniversary, six decades of recognizing literacy as a fundamental human right.

April Ronay, M.Ed.
Founder, Rosewood & Quill Press
Founder, California Coalition for PANS/PANDAS Advocacy

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

This is incredibly special. 💚

For those of us who advocate for children and families affected by PANS/PANDAS, moments like this mean so much.

On October 9th, Niagara Falls will shine green for our children, our families, and a community that has worked tirelessly to be seen, heard, and believed.

Every light, every conversation, every physician who chooses to learn, and every policymaker who listens moves us closer to a future where no family has to fight so hard for recognition and access to care.

We still have important work ahead, but this is what progress looks like. Awareness is growing. Voices are getting louder. Doors are opening. Change is happening.

We are so grateful to the advocates who continue to carry this work forward in New York and across the country.

The light is getting brighter, and together, we will keep it shining. 💚

08/31/2026

This little heart has quite a story. ❤️

Aidan’s Law began as AB 907. It passed the California Legislature, was vetoed, and could have ended there.

It didn’t.

We came back. Our families kept speaking up. We kept fighting for children who deserved to be seen, believed, and treated.

Aidan’s Law returned as AB 2105, passed, and became California law.

That is something worth celebrating.

But there is still more work to do. A law on paper must become meaningful access to care for the children and families it was written to protect.

Aidan’s Law was never just about passing a bill. It was about changing what happens when a family asks for help.

We’ve come a long way, but we’re not done yet. ❤️

08/29/2026

Three years ago! 💚 Look who showed up for Aidan’s Law. Thank you, Michael Trevino, for lending your voice to our kids and families. Some memories are just fun to see again. 😊

08/28/2026

This one still makes us smile. 💚 Three years ago, Judy Reyes showed up for (Aidan's Law) and California’s PANS/PANDAS families.

08/26/2026

Three years ago today. 💚

Nurses stood with California families in support of AB 907, Aidan’s Law, and insurance coverage for PANS and PANDAS.

AB 907 was vetoed. We came back. AB 2105 became law.

The law changed.

But families are still walking into hospitals and emergency rooms only to discover how far we still have to go.

Passing a law was never the finish line. Making sure children can access appropriate care is.

The work continues. 💚

08/23/2026

One Friday morning last fall, writer Jessica Slice’s eight-year-old daughter Rose woke up with a sore throat. At first, it felt like a minor cold, but over the next few days, she started to change. First, her arms and legs would suddenly and uncontrollably shoot out in front of her. Not long after, Rose said she felt like she was “vibrating inside.” Within a week, she began to wail for hours on end, threaten to harm herself and others, and displayed severe motor control problems.

But multiple doctors denied there was any medical issue, telling Slice to bring Rose to a psychiatrist instead. “I don’t know how long our pattern of ER visits and outpatient referrals might have continued had I not texted a group of friends that evening to share Rose’s story,” Slice writes. “One friend — a doctor — texted back an idea: “Have you looked into PANS?”

PANS, or “pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome,” is a form of brain inflammation caused by infection that affects an estimated one in around 12,000 children every year. A reliable test for the disease is still elusive, so diagnosis currently hinges on developing sudden-onset OCD or restrictive eating and at least two out of nine concurrent symptoms, which include aggression, motor abnormalities, and sleep changes. But there’s widespread medical skepticism surrounding the condition, and funding for research is sparse.

Splice writes about her fight to treat Rose and speaks to PANS patients and medical experts about their experience with the disease, the struggle to diagnose it, and the vocal community of physicians actively opposing the disease’s recognition: https://nymag.visitlink.me/5FU0Va

08/23/2026

Three years ago. ❤️

A community came together and put its heart behind AB 907, Aidan’s Law.

Looking back at these faces, we see more than support for a bill.

We see a collective.

Families, advocates, physicians, friends, and community members who chose to stand together for children with PANS/PANDAS and for the recognition and care they deserve.

Aidan’s story helped give this legislation a name, but the fight was never about one child or one family.

It was about all of our children.

That is what made this moment so powerful.

One family speaks.
Another stands beside them.
Another adds their voice.
And eventually, we are no longer standing alone.

We are a collective. ❤️

Three years later, we remain deeply grateful to every person who held a heart, shared Aidan’s story, advocated for AB 907, and stood with California's PANS/PANDAS families.

This is what community can do.