As parents, our main job is to keep our children safe and healthy. Sometimes life has other plans that make doing that one job feel seemingly impossible. Thats why on November 7th, I am running the Indianapolis Marathon to raise funds and awareness for PANDAS and PANS through The Alex Manfull Fund.

PANDAS and PANS cause a sudden onset of severe OCD symptoms. They also cause other sudden changes in a child's behavior. These can be so extreme that a parent may say their child seemed to "change overnight."

I can’t even imagine what it would be like to see my child’s behavior inexplicably change overnight and bounce from doctor to doctor with no diagnosis or explanation but that’s where a good friend of mine and his wife found themselves. Their relentlessness to fight for their child led them to finding out about PANDAS AND PANS and The Alex Manfull Fund.

Seeing a child lose the most precious years of their childhood to this illness and hearing the numerous stories from others that suffered through the same has been heartbreaking. Please consider supporting my 26.2 miles of suffering so hopefully one day children and their families will not have to suffer from PANDAS AND PANS.

What Are PANS & PANDAS?

The Impact of Your Support

Funds raised during TAMF 26.2 Reasons:

• Advance cutting-edge research on PANS and PANDAS
• Train more clinicians to diagnose and treat these disorders
• Educate families and healthcare professionals about early recognition and care
• Expand awareness so fewer children and young adults are misdiagnosed or left untreated

The Alex Manfull Fund has earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, a distinction held by fewer than 1% of nonprofits, reflecting our commitment to accountability and impact.

About Alex Manfull

Alex was in the prime of her life.

A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Princeton University, she was brilliant, creative, and endlessly curious. A prolific writer, voracious reader, artist, photographer, runner, and fashionista, Alex brought energy and insight to everything she did. She had already built a successful career as a financial analyst in New York City before recently moving to Washington, D.C. Above all, she was known for her humor and her extraordinary kindness.

For years, Alex quietly searched for answers to symptoms she ultimately recognized herself. Just weeks before her death, she received a formal diagnosis: PANDAS. For the first time, there was clarity—and hope. She was preparing to begin treatment with a leading specialist and was determined, once well, to write about PANDAS so that others would not have to endure what she had faced alone.

She died just days before treatment was set to begin.

Alex’s story is a profound reminder of what is at stake—and what remains to be done.

In the wake of this heartbreaking loss, Susan and Bill Manfull established The Alex Manfull Fund (TAMF) in honor of their daughter. Determined to prevent other families from experiencing the same loss, they created TAMF to advance research, train clinicians, and raise awareness about PANS and PANDAS—conditions that remain widely misunderstood and underdiagnosed.

Today, TAMF collaborates with leading institutions to support groundbreaking research and expand clinical expertise in this emerging field.

The Alex Manfull Fund is committed to a clear and urgent vision: that no life is ever again cut short—or interrupted—by infection-associated neuroimmune disorders such as PANDAS and PANS.

TAMF 26.2 REASONS | Indianapolis Monumental Marathon | Henry Sum | November 7th, 2026

26.2 Miles for PANS/PANDAS Research, Education & Awareness