--
Courtesy of Pomona-Pitzer Athletics--
CLAREMONT, Calif. — Pomona-Pitzer cross country and track and field student-athlete Kirk Lord has been selected as a December 2025 CalHOPE Courage Award recipient.
CalHOPE Release
Presented monthly since February 2022, the CalHOPE Courage Award honors student-athletes at California colleges and universities who have overcome stress, anxiety, and mental trauma associated with personal hardships and adversity. In addition to the recognition, a donation will be made on behalf of all honorees to support mental health services.
Kirk Lord is a sophomore at Pitzer College and a member of the Pomona-Pitzer track & field program, the combined athletic partnership between the schools. His journey, defined by childhood illness, renewed health challenges, and national advocacy, embodies the resilience and purpose at the heart of the CalHOPE Courage Award.
At just four years old, Kirk experienced a sudden and devastating onset of severe OCD, anxiety, depression, motor tics, cognitive decline, and emotional dysregulation. Once a bright, energetic child, he quickly became unable to write or speak coherently. After months of misdiagnoses, Kirk was finally diagnosed with PANDAS, an autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder triggered by a strep infection that caused inflammation in his brain. With intensive treatment, his symptoms eased and he gradually reclaimed his life.
Rather than allowing the experience to define him, Kirk transformed it into advocacy. As a child, he raised thousands of dollars for PANS/PANDAS research by pogo-sticking across the Golden Gate Bridge, and in college he founded the
National PANDAS/PANS Youth Alliance, a youth-led nonprofit advocating awareness, community support, and insurance coverage for medically necessary treatment. The organization has already helped secure federal funding language to advance research through national health and defense initiatives.
During college, Kirk faced another unexpected
PANS flare-up tied to multiple infections, resulting in debilitating OCD and anxiety. Recognizing the importance of prioritizing mental and physical health, after competing in cross country in the fall, he made the difficult decision to redshirt for the track & field season while focusing on recovery and advocacy. Due to the stress dual-sport training puts on his body, he sat out the cross-country season this fall and will focus his efforts on track & field running the 400m, 400m hurdles and 800m.
"I've learned that mental strength doesn't mean pretending everything is fine. It means listening to your body, asking for help, and refusing to give up on yourself, even when the path forward isn't clear," said Kirk. "Every challenge I've faced has taught me patience, perspective, and the importance of hope."
While PANS/PANDAS manifests through severe mental health symptoms such as OCD, anxiety, and motor tics, Kirk has learned that addressing the underlying autoimmune response and the encephalitis (brain inflammation) that results from this is essential to recovery. At the same time as he addresses his symptoms through medical intervention, he also has attended therapy over the past year in order to manage OCD through psychological means, and to grow as a person through daily hardship. By combining medical treatment with mental health care, Kirk has developed resilience in the face of symptoms that are often beyond his control. His family has been central to that journey: his parents provide consistent emotional support while navigating medications, infusions, and insurance challenges, and his brother serves as both a role model and source of perspective often reminding Kirk to imagine how much he can grow from this hardship.
About the CalHOPE Courage Award
The monthly CalHOPE Courage Award is presented by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA), in association with The Associated Press;
CalHOPE, a Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) crisis counseling and support resource; and the Governor's Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being.
Follow the SCIAC on Threads (@theSCIAC), X - formerly Twitter (@theSCIAC) and Instagram (@thesciac) with hashtags #SCIACtion and #SoCalSoGood. Watch all home SCIAC games, matches, and meets online through FloSports: https://flosports.link/SCIAC