A YOUNG Thornbury woman is raising funds for medical treatment after years of suffering from chronic pain, fatigue and tremors due to her Lyme disease.
Steph Todd, 22, was bitten by a tick in 2015 and had years of misdiagnosis before it was discovered she had late-stage neurological Lyme disease.
This happens when Lyme goes unnoticed for long enough for it to begin attacking the central nervous system. The tick-borne disease is easier to treat if caught early but long-term symptoms and complications can arise if the patient is not diagnosed early on.
As a result of her condition, Steph has been forced to drop out of her degree in textiles design in London and move back home to Thornbury.
“I was flat out exhausted after basic tasks,” she said.
“I can’t cook for myself, I can’t go for walks, I can’t do more than one big thing a week.
“There’s just no quality of life. I really can’t do very much. I’ve lost all my independence.”
Steph is managing to work a couple of hours a week at New Siblands School.
“They have been very good about it. I just do a very very short shift,” Steph explained.
Among Steph’s lengthy list of symptoms are seizures.
“The first time it happened I was seeing The Cure in Hyde Park, ironically,” she said.
Another episode occurred at London Paddington Station, leaving Steph paralysed from the waist down for a week.
“I got on to the platform and my whole body was convulsing quite violently,”she said.
Steph is now looking to raise funds to enable her to visit a specialist Lyme clinic in Washington DC .
“My condition is very complex and there are no Lyme specialists in the NHS. It’s my only hope of getting better,” she said.
A fundraising day is being held at the Black Horse pub on Saturday, September 7. Entertainment includes a pool tournament, sponsored waxing and a barbecue as well as a prize raffle and kids’ games.
To donate, go to
gofundme.com/f/helpstephbeatlyme
and to sign up for the event email helpstephbeatlyme@gmail.com.
More information about Lyme disease is available at
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