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Emily Simpson’s 10-year-old son, Luke, is set to undergo a brain procedure after being diagnosed with PANDAS. PANDAS, or pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections, refers to a group of symptoms — such as tics and obsessive-compulsive behavior — that is thought to affect kids who’ve had strep infections, per the Cleveland Clinic. “Yeah, so he is going to have a laser treatment on his brain to reduce the swelling,” she explained during Part 1 of the “Real Housewives of Orange County” reunion Thursday when host Andy Cohen asked how he would be treated for the condition. “He asked if the laser would hurt, and I said, ‘No, it won’t hurt,’” she heartbreakingly revealed. “So he has to go five days in a row for like three hours, and it’s supposed to reduce the swelling.” Also during the episode, Emily explained how she and her husband, Shane, first figured out her son had PANDAS. “He went from a happy fourth grader that no teacher had ever said, like, there’s issues. He was gifted. And all of a sudden, my child just completely changed,” she shared. “He just regressed. He started talking like a baby. Acting out. And I was so confused.” The reality star — who is also mom to daughter Annabelle and Luke’s twin brother, Keller — explained that once fans of the show saw Luke’s behavioral problems play out on TV, many of then direct messaged her on social media and advised her to get him tested for the condition. “I would’ve never known to have my child tested for PANDAS if it wasn’t for these moms that watch and reached out to me and told me. So it’s been an amazing community of sharing information and learning, and that means a lot to me.” Unfortunately, along with all of the support Emily, 49, has gotten, she revealed that she also has gotten hate from viewers questioning her as a parent. “And then of course, there’s horrible people that post awful things that are like, ‘How did she not know her son couldn’t read?’ Well, it’s not that I didn’t know he couldn’t read, he’s a totally different child … I’m not a terrible mom, I’m dealing with symptoms that are completely different.” Emily pointed out that Luke had a very bad case of strep throat in January, which could’ve caused PANDAS. “The bacteria remains and then it affects the brain. And the brain swells. So all of these symptoms are associated with strep throat. And there’s higher risk in kids that are on the spectrum. And also he has ARFID. I mean, all roads kind of lead back to being on the spectrum.” Emily revealed Luke’s ARFID diagnosis back in July. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a condition that causes a person to lose interest in eating over anxiety-filled fears of choking, vomiting or a need to avoid unwanted colors, taste, textures or smells of different foods, per the Cleveland Clinic. “He only eats a few different foods and he’s very overwhelmed by texture, color, smells. He will only eat white rice,” she explained to People of what Luke’s main symptoms are. “And he has to inspect each piece of rice before he eats it. So it’s beyond picky eating. A lot of control issues. It’s very overwhelming.” Emily shared that prior to learning of her son’s condition, he would often say he was “starving” — because he was — but would still “refuse to eat.” As for treatment, the former lawyer said that her son is seeing a therapist and a nutritionist, and wears nose inserts with essential oils on them to mask the smells of overwhelming foods. She admitted that dealing with Luke’s struggles made her question whether she should continue filming “RHOC” knowing that part of her son’s health journey would be featured on Season 19 of the show. “Am I doing the right thing by being so honest about what we’re going through? And all I can hope at the end is that it helps other parents,” she said.
