A mum and her five-year-old son are trying to raise £100,000 for treatment for a crippling condition that has ruined their lives.
Emily and Oliver Gilmour suffer from Lyme disease, an infection caused by a bite from an infected tick. If caught quickly, the disease can be treated with antibiotics but left untreated it can lead to joint swelling, memory issues, heart and kidney problems.
Emily and Oliver, who live near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, struggle with pain every day. The mum thinks she may have been bitten 23 years ago, recalling flu-like symptoms after going hillwalking.
She said: “I never recovered entirely and suffered joint pain ever since but not enough to be really life-changing.”
About two-and-a-half years ago, her symptoms became “quite debilitating”. She said: “In 2020, I started noticing my hair was falling out, my vision was blurry and I started sweating a lot during the night but was frozen during the day.
“By the end of the year, my symptoms were extreme. I started getting names mixed up. I would get in my car and drive and have no idea how I got there when I stopped.”
After a struggle for diagnosis, brain lesions were found along with low adrenal function and an enlarged heart. Finally in 2021, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease.
Emily found a doctor in Dublin to help treat her condition. By this time Oliver also had signs of the disease.
Emily, 36, said: “There is evidence it can be passed on in pregnancy or through breast milk.”
There is also research which suggests the disease in babies can lead to autism and ADHD – both of which Oliver has.
They have had some treatment but need to raise £100,000 for more in Germany, including hyperthermia – which heats the body to flush out the bacteria causing the problem. There is no equivalent treatment in the UK.
Without the treatment Emily said: “We will become severely disabled and suffer a slow death.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said clinical management of the disease in Scotland, “follows Nice guidance”.
Donate at www.gofundme.com/f/emily-oliver-battle-lyme-disease
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