My Story

I am supporting Lyme Disease UK on behalf of my Mum, a chronic Lyme disease sufferer (an infectious disease transmitted by a bite from an infected tick), Cancer survivor, and general wonder woman.

My mum caught Lyme disease when I was 9 years old and battled Cancer only 2 years later. Watching her ongoing struggle with Lyme disease the past 14 years has been incredibly difficult. In true wonder woman style, in the face of debilitating symptoms (severe headaches, joint/nerve pain, heart palpitations, fainting episodes, tingling/numbness, insomnia and total fatigue) she remains stoic, kind, generous, and somewhat of a party animal – even though this often comes at an unimaginable cost. Despite her stoicism, Lyme disease has taken a great deal from my mum and by extension those who love her dearly.

At the time of my Mum’s infection (2008), it was widley believed that Lyme disease did not exist in the UK. As a result, my mum was misdiagnosed and poorly treated. She spent many years being (unsuccessfully) treated for Rheumatoid Arthritis and was often accused of being depressed/a hypochondriac. Some 10 years later (2018) Lyme disease was finally recognised as being present in the UK in national health and care guidelines. Unfortunately, despite this, mistreatment is still frequently cited by Lyme disease sufferers. This includes my mum, who at my request reached out to her GP in light of the new guidance only to be told “I’m afraid even if we get a specialist to join the dots and accept Lyme is the cause of all your health issues, they would not know how to treat you. There is nothing that can be done”.

The NHS is a national treasure, one which saved my mum from Cancer, for which I am eternally grateful – but like anything it is not perfect. We must continue to advocate for underserved conditions, not only to better serve patients, but also to better equip healthcare staff who work so tirelessly to improve the health and quality of life of those they care for.

In support of this cause, I will be running the Brighton Marathon on 10th April 2022 (yikes…). I am not a runner by background, and this is easily the hardest thing I have ever tried to do (not least due to forgoing alcohol and incredibly antisocial training hours). Despite starting to train many months ago, I have found the long training runs nothing short of brutal and can often be found hobbling to the end. A history of knee dislocations and two rounds of flu in the final month or so of training certainly hasen’t made the challenge any easier! It has, however, given me a far greater affinity for joint pain, fatigue, and how greatly we take good health for granted.

I am immensely grateful for all your support, whether that be reading this and gaining a greater awareness of Lyme disease, or parting with your hard earned cash and donating. Lyme Disease UK is an incredible charity which works not only to provide information and support for Lyme disease sufferers and their families, but also to advance awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease in the UK – rest assured that should you donate your contribution will make a difference.

For my Mum's story in her own words, please click here.

For an informative video on Lyme disease, please click here.