Stories of Hope
Real families. Real healing. Real hope.
These are the families who trusted us with their most precious people — their children. Their stories are shared with gratitude and humility. Each one is a reminder of why we do this work.
Now back in school full-time after 18 months of treatment
"Our daughter went from a happy, thriving child to someone we didn't recognize — literally overnight. She developed severe OCD, food restriction, and rage episodes that terrified all of us. Every doctor we saw told us it was psychiatric. Dr. Lewis was the first to run the right tests and find the strep infection triggering her brain. Within weeks of treatment, we started getting our daughter back. She's now in 5th grade, thriving, and you'd never know what she went through."— Mother of PANDAS patient, Westerville, OH
Speaking in full sentences at age 6 after biomedical treatment
"Dr. Lewis didn't just treat our son — he understood our family. Having a doctor who has walked this path himself made all the difference. He found that our son had severe gut inflammation, iron deficiency, and methylation issues nobody had ever tested for. After six months of treatment, our nonverbal son began speaking. His teachers couldn't believe it. We couldn't believe it. Dr. Lewis always believed it was possible."— Parents of autism patient, Columbus, OH
Off stimulant medication after discovering zinc and iron deficiency
"We were told our son just needed more medication. His ADHD was 'severe,' they said. Dr. Lewis took a different approach and found he was severely deficient in iron and zinc — two nutrients essential for brain function and attention. Within two months of treatment, his teacher pulled us aside and said, 'I don't know what you changed, but this is a completely different child.' He's been off stimulant medication for two years now."— Father of ADHD patient, New Albany, OH
Diagnosed after 3 years of misdiagnosis — now fully recovered
"After three years, four specialists, and diagnoses ranging from fibromyalgia to anxiety disorder, Dr. Lewis was the first to seriously consider Lyme disease. He found Lyme plus two co-infections — Bartonella and Babesia — that had gone completely undetected. Our daughter went from barely being able to attend school to competing in track within a year of proper treatment. We lost three years. We are so grateful we found Dr. Lewis before we lost more."— Mother of Lyme disease patient, traveling from Michigan
Rage episodes resolved after treating Pyrrole Disorder
"Everyone said our daughter was just 'difficult' or 'oppositional.' We had seen three therapists and two psychiatrists. Dr. Lewis ran a urine test for Pyrrole Disorder and found she was severely depleted in zinc and B6 — the nutrients her brain needed for emotional regulation. She also had significant food sensitivities we never knew about. The child who emerged after treatment was the daughter we always knew was in there — kind, funny, and full of life."— Parents of behavior disorders patient, Pickerington, OH
Returned to school full-time after 2 years of chronic illness
"After two years of watching our son decline — the fatigue, the pain, the brain fog, the inability to attend school — Dr. Lewis was the first doctor to say 'I believe you, and we're going to figure this out.' And he did. It took six months of careful investigation to identify all the contributing factors. It took another six months of treatment. But our son is now back in school full-time, playing sports, and planning for college. We cannot imagine our lives without Sancta Familia Center."— Mother of chronic illness patient, Granville, OH
Improved sleep, socialization, and gut health
"Our son was waking up four times a night, having multiple meltdowns a day, and was in constant GI distress. The behavioral therapists were wonderful, but something was clearly wrong medically. Dr. Lewis identified significant gut dysbiosis, food intolerances, and a mitochondrial support deficiency. After dietary changes and targeted supplementation, he started sleeping through the night within three weeks. The meltdowns reduced dramatically. He's making friends now. Real friends."— Parents of autism patient, Dublin, OH
Household strep carrier identified — no flares in 18 months
"Our son had been flaring every 8–10 weeks despite antibiotic treatment. Dr. Lewis suggested testing all household members for strep carriage. My husband — who showed zero symptoms — was a carrier. Once he was treated, our son stopped flaring. It's been 18 months without a relapse. That one insight changed everything. Dr. Lewis thinks about these things that other doctors just don't consider."— Mother of PANDAS patient, Gahanna, OH
"We Almost Gave Up"
Emma was eight years old when she stopped being Emma. In the space of a single weekend, she developed debilitating OCD, refused to eat anything she hadn't prepared herself, and began screaming for hours in what her parents could only describe as pure terror. Her parents, Mark and Sarah, had never heard of PANS or PANDAS.
Over the next fourteen months, Emma saw seven specialists. She was diagnosed with OCD, then with anxiety disorder, then with an "atypical presentation" that nobody could explain. She received psychiatric medications that didn't help and sometimes made things worse. She fell two grade levels behind in school. Mark and Sarah exhausted their savings and their hope.
A friend mentioned Sancta Familia Center. "We almost didn't come," Sarah recalls. "We had been disappointed so many times. But something in the way Dr. Lewis's office described the practice — the fact that he'd been treating PANS since 2011, that PANDASnetwork.org recognized him — gave us a sliver of hope."
Dr. Lewis identified Group A Strep and Mycoplasma co-infection within the first evaluation. He also found that Emma's father was an asymptomatic strep carrier — the likely source of her repeated relapses. Within three months of targeted treatment and household carrier elimination, Emma's symptoms began to lift. Within eight months, she was back in school. Today, Emma is twelve. She loves soccer, reads constantly, and wants to be a doctor someday. "She says she wants to help kids like her," Sarah says. "So do we. That's why we're sharing this story."
Your Family's Story Could Be Next
Every family that found healing here started exactly where you are now — searching for answers. Let us help you find them.