Episode 106: Anna McCasland

Written By Susie Gurley

Don’t miss this summer kick-off episode of The Just A Mom Podcast featuring Anna McCasland. Anna has an incredible and unique journey as a person with lived experience with PANDAS, which is short for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections.  PANDAS is a rare autoimmune condition that can occur in children after a strep throat infection, and is characterized by a sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive (OCD) along with other behavioral and emotional changes. Anna candidly shares how, after a strep throat infection at age 12, her life changed. Anna chronicles her journey and how her parents were incredible advocates for her and how, after a myriad of mental health treatments, including numerous medications and therapy, she was able to lead a fairly typical life in high school and college.  However, things changed dramatically when Anna graduated from college and started her first job. Anna tells how she became a shell of a person, experiencing a host of physical and mental health issues. Because of the tenacity of Anna and her parents, Anna was able to locate a researcher in PANDAS, and her life virtually changed within days of a new treatment and understanding of her PANDAS. Anna shares how she cares for herself and her mental health, and encourages parents to listen to their children and not to give up looking for answers.

Susie Gurley

Susie Stapp Gurley was born and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She married her college sweetheart, Dan Gurley, shortly after graduating from TCU with a degree in advertising and public relations. In her first career, Susie worked in college admissions and academic advising. Simultaneously she pursued a master’s degree from The University of Central Missouri in sociology and then worked for the Sedgwick County, KS Department of Aging as a case worker. Susie stepped away from the professional world in 1997 to become a stay-at-home mom. She spent the majority of the last 25 years as a wife, mother, and volunteer, primarily in her church and her three children’s schools and activities.

Susie became a mental health advocate after her youngest son became a teen spokesperson about his battle with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. In 2018, at the age of 15, Will founded the You Matter Festival, a music festival promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Will shared his personal mental health struggles with the 1,000-person crowd, which started his role as a local KC teen advocate for mental health. Because of Will’s involvement, Susie recorded a video #Zeroreasonswhy (https://zeroreasonswhy.org), a Kansas City area organization working to end teen suicide in the Johnson County, Kansas area. This video was viewed over 10,000 times, which was the impetus of the Just A Mom podcast. Susie decided that she needed to follow the brave trail blazed by her son and became an outspoken advocate for parents of children who struggle with mental illness. The Just a Mom podcast launched in September of 2022 and encourages parents to know that they are not alone and there is hope.

Susie served as the Executive Director of the You Matter Festival and is currently on the Friends of Johnson County Mental Health Board. Susie has grown three children, two daughters-in-law, and a son-in-law.

Next

Episode 105: Debi Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, The OLLIE Foundation