Remember Alex Marcotte, Capreol Ontario, STSS

10/01/2026

He’s looking down over us …

09/26/2026

09/25/2026

https://www.facebook.com/reel/29155373484050913/?fs=e&fs=e

09/23/2026

Neurological issues emerge after a Strep Throat episode.

How many times has your child had strep throat?

PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) occurs when a strep infection triggers a misdirected immune response, causing inflammation in the brain's basal ganglia.

The hallmark of PANDAS is the sudden, seemingly overnight onset of symptoms, which include:

Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviors: Severe, abruptly appearing OCD symptoms.

Tics: Motor tics (blinking, jerking movements) or vocal tics (grunting, sudden throat clearing).

Emotional Lability: Intense mood swings, uncharacteristic rage, aggression, or sudden panic attacks.

Anxiety: Extreme, sudden separation anxiety.

Behavioural Regression: Reverting to younger behaviors, including baby talk, tantrums, or sudden bedwetting (enuresis).

Sensory and Motor Issues: Noticeable deterioration in handwriting, severe hyperactivity, or extreme sensitivity to light, sound, or textures.

Why Infants Are Biologically Shielded from PANDAS

If an older sibling brings strep throat into the house, parents generally do not need to worry about their infant developing PANDAS. This natural protection comes down to three main biological factors:

Lack of Cellular Receptors: Group A Streptococcus (the bacteria that causes strep throat) needs specific receptors on the cells of the throat and tonsils to attach, colonize, and multiply. Infants and toddlers under age two generally lack these adherence receptors, making it exceedingly difficult for them to contract classic strep throat in the first place.

Maternal Antibodies: Babies retain protective antibodies passed from their mother during pregnancy and through breastmilk. This passive immunity offers a strong defense against many common bacterial strains during their early months of life.

Immune System Maturity: PANDAS is a complex autoimmune reaction. It generally requires the immune system to have encountered the strep bacteria multiple times over several years before it makes the error of attacking the body's own brain tissue. An infant's immune system is simply too young and has not had the repeated exposures necessary to mount this specific, hyper-reactive response.

Even in the rare instance that a baby does catch the strep bacteria from an older sibling, it usually presents as a mild, crusty nasal infection (known as streptococcosis) rather than a severe throat infection, and the biological mechanisms that trigger PANDAS do not occur. PANDAS is almost exclusively diagnosed in children between the age of 3 and puberty.

Neurological issues emerge after a Strep Throat episode.

For most kids, strep throat means a fever, a sore throat, and a quick round of antibiotics. But for some, the immune system gets confused and attacks the brain, leading to a condition called PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections).

The main warning sign of PANDAS is the sudden, overnight appearance of intense symptoms like:
• Severe OCD or separation anxiety
• Motor or vocal tics
• Uncharacteristic rage or intense mood swings
• Behavioral regression, loss of handwriting skills, or sudden bedwetting

If you have an older child who frequently brings strep home, it's natural to worry about the youngest members of the family. The good news is that infants are biologically shielded from PANDAS. Babies lack the cellular receptors in their throats for strep bacteria to latch onto, they carry protective maternal antibodies, and their young immune systems haven't had the repeated exposures needed to trigger this specific autoimmune misfire. Because of this, PANDAS is almost exclusively a condition that appears between age 3 and puberty.

Awareness is key to recognizing the signs in school-aged kids and getting the right support early.

How many times has your child had strep throat?

You’re going to want to share this …

09/16/2026

This Saturday, we are gathering to celebrate Alex’s life.

This last week has been harder than I can express, but today brought a moment of profound comfort: we collected our keepsakes from Michelle.

We will each be carrying a personal keepsake with us at all times. Alex will always be with us, and he will live on beautifully in his children.

As we prepare to honor him, I need to share a hard truth. I need you to educate yourselves about streptococcus, because it is far more dangerous than society expects.

We dismiss it as “just strep throat,” but that familiarity is a fatal flaw.

The danger of streptococcus is twofold: it can attack with devastating speed, or it can cause silent, lifelong damage long after the initial infection is gone.

If left unchecked or misdiagnosed, streptococcus can cause:

1. Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS): A rapid, life-threatening cascade where bacterial toxins hijack the immune system, leading to shock and multi-organ failure in a matter of hours, not days.

2. Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD): An autoimmune response that can develop weeks after a throat infection, causing permanent, lifelong damage to the heart valves.

3. Post-Streptococcal Glomerulonephritis (PSGN): Severe kidney inflammation that can lead to chronic renal issues or long-term hypertension.

4. PANDAS/PANS: In children, a sudden, severe autoimmune reaction to strep that triggers obsessive-compulsive behaviors, tics, and drastic neurological changes.

5. Reactive Arthritis & Chronic Joint Damage: Persistent, painful inflammation of the joints that can become a lifelong burden.

6. Invasive Tissue Destruction: Including necrotizing fasciitis, which, even if survived, often results in amputations, severe scarring, and chronic pain.

The medical system often defaults to a “wait and see” approach because early symptoms mimic common viruses. But with strep, waiting is exactly what the bacteria exploit.

Please, do not let the familiarity of a “strep” diagnosis blind you. Advocate fiercely for yourself and your children.

Ask the hard questions.

We are keeping Alex’s memory alive, and part of that is using this painful knowledge to protect others.

08/26/2026

💙 A Note from Susara: Legacy, Love, and Moving Forward Together 💙

With gratitude, love, and a heart learning to beat again.

🕊️ First, A Thank You That Runs Deep
I haven’t written in a while. Even when I shared the obituary, I only added a small note, but I need to say this properly:

Michelle, your words were the most beautiful obituary I have ever read. 💙

Your love for my son is unimaginable. I am so deeply sorry for your loss, and for the loss Briar and Bodhi are still feeling. I see it every day when we’re together. I feel it in their hugs, their questions, their quiet moments.

And yet… spending time with them has brought a little bit of Alex back to me. 🌤️ It helps soften the regret for all the time I missed. It helps me carry on. It’s taken me a while to find my footing again, but I’m getting there. I have work to do, and I’m ready to do it now.

🌸 About Flowers, Purpose, and Alex’s Legacy

Many of you have asked about sending flowers for the Celebration of Life. Flowers are a beautiful thought. I’ve always told my husband: “If you want to send me flowers, find a beautiful patch, take me for a walk, and show them to me. They don’t need to be plucked.” 🌷🚶‍♀️

They have purpose, and they should fulfill their purpose, just like we all do.

Alex had a purpose. One of them was to help us all grow. They say only the good die young, and Alex was amazing.

✨So instead of flowers, we kindly ask that you consider a small donation to Briar and Bodhi’s Education Fund, set up by Michelle to honor their dad and secure their future. 🎓💙
How to contribute:
🔹 GoFundMe (Updated Focus): https://gofund.me/3c148c8b6
🔹 e-Transfer: [email protected]
📝 Please note: “Education Fund” or “Strep Awareness”

🔄 Important Update:

We have redirected the GoFundMe campaign to focus on two meaningful causes:

1️⃣ Briar and Bodhi’s Education Fund – Ensuring Alex’s children have every opportunity to thrive.

2️⃣ Strep Awareness & Prevention Advocacy – Educating communities about the signs of strep infections and the serious complications they can cause, so other families might be spared this pain.

📖 Help Us Build Alex’s Legacy: Share Your Stories
I absolutely love hearing stories about Alex, and I think this page can become a living legacy for Briar and Bodhi.

📚💙If you have a memory, a photo, a video, or even a short note about Alex, please share it here in the comments or send it to:

📩 [email protected]

Subject line: “For Briar & Bodhi”

Thanks to the miracle of technology (and yes, even Facebook, despite its flaws 🙃), these stories can live on, as long as the internet exists.

When Briar and Bodhi are older, they can read about their dad through us. Through your words. Your love. Your truth.

That is a gift beyond measure. 🎁

🗓️ Celebration of Life: September 19 in Sudbury

For those who asked: Alex’s Celebration of Life will be held on September 19 in Sudbury, Ontario. All who loved him are welcome. 🕯️🤍

🙏 To Everyone Who Has Walked This Road With Us

Thank you.
For your love.
For your prayers.
For standing with us, even those who joined after Alex’s passing.
Your presence still matters.
Your support still heals. 💙

Alex’s purpose wasn’t just to live,it was to teach us how to love fiercely, forgive freely, and hold each other tightly.

In that, he succeeded.
And in that, he lives on.

✨ How to Honor Alex Today
• Share a memory of him below 💬
• Donate to the Education Fund or Strep Awareness advocacy 🎓🦠
• Teach someone about the signs of strep infections 🩺
• Hold your loved ones a little tighter tonight 🤗
• Let yourself feel whatever you’re feeling, grief has no timeline

🌤️ A Final Whisper

Alex was
Our son.
Arock star.
A fighter.
A lover.
A father.
A friend.
He mattered.
He matters.
He will always matter.

Thank you for helping us turn love into legacy.

With endless gratitude,

Susara 💙
(On behalf of Alex)


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
P.S. If today feels heavy, please be gentle with yourself. Reach out. Cry. Rest. You don’t have to carry it alone. We’re here. 💙

P.P.S. If you’re able to share this post, please do. You never know whose heart might need Alex’s story today. 🌟

The Alex Marcotte Legacy Fund: Education & Strep A Awareness … Susara Marcotte needs your support for Alex’s Angels: Supporting His Kids & Stopping Strep A

08/14/2026

Edit: There’s still 3 days Sunnybrook Hospital parking left on the card. If you send me a DM I can mail it to you. 😊
Original:
I have this parking card for Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto. Not sure but I think it still has time on it. If you’re going there and want to try I’d gladly give it to you.
Must be able to pick up near Sudbury.

08/12/2026

In memory of Alex Marcotte …

Thank you for writing this beautiful testament to Alex, Michelle. Your words warms my soul.