Help Briony Beat Lyme Disease
Donation protected
My name is Briony, I am 26 and for most of my life, I’ve been battling the effects of Lyme Disease and other tick - borne diseases. It all started when I was bitten by an infected tick as a toddler, over 20 years ago. Unfortunately, I was only recently diagnosed.
I've been through a variety of debilitating illnesses caused by the infections, as they have been left to spread through my whole body. As the diseases were not treated early, they have gone on to be late – stage, the last and most serious stage of the diseases. In recent years, the effects have progressed to cause devastating consequences.
I have made this GofundMe, as I need funding for critical medical treatment, as there is none available to me in the UK healthcare system.
Some days I can't sit, stand, or walk, and have to lie down. I have constant excruciating pain, crushing fatigue and weakness everywhere; and the stress on all my vital organs is causing further damage (it affects my joints, muscles, brain, blood vessels, tissue, bladder, breathing, oxygen restriction, nerves, digestive system, hormones and more).
The way it attacks my brain and central nervous system is horrifying.
I have poor mental health and it takes me longer to take in and express information. I’m unable to do it at all at times. It’s hard to focus my attention. I struggle through sleep disorder, dizziness, sensory overload, loss of balance, serious memory loss and mix up my words a lot. The diseases reduce my ability to function.
Normal parts of life are such an uphill battle – like food shopping, walking, and showering. It can be very overwhelming. It shouldn’t be this hard.
There is so much more to these illnesses - enough to say it has taken over my life and the chance to experience so much. It has impacted me in many ways and it was heart breaking to stop doing everything I loved to do.
I have always had a deep love of nature and the great outdoors but now spend most of my time at home, indoors. It breaks my heart that the illness has reduced my ability for charitable work, usually with nature, animals and people.
I'd love to have the fantastic career I could be capable of, make a difference, live life to the full in every way, create many memories with friends, to be social and enjoy my time. To have meaningful and rewarding relationships but instead, my realty is that I live with relentless suffering from the conditions. It is hard to imagine what life could be without it.
I've been through a variety of debilitating illnesses caused by the infections, as they have been left to spread through my whole body. As the diseases were not treated early, they have gone on to be late – stage, the last and most serious stage of the diseases. In recent years, the effects have progressed to cause devastating consequences.
I have made this GofundMe, as I need funding for critical medical treatment, as there is none available to me in the UK healthcare system.
Some days I can't sit, stand, or walk, and have to lie down. I have constant excruciating pain, crushing fatigue and weakness everywhere; and the stress on all my vital organs is causing further damage (it affects my joints, muscles, brain, blood vessels, tissue, bladder, breathing, oxygen restriction, nerves, digestive system, hormones and more).
The way it attacks my brain and central nervous system is horrifying.
I have poor mental health and it takes me longer to take in and express information. I’m unable to do it at all at times. It’s hard to focus my attention. I struggle through sleep disorder, dizziness, sensory overload, loss of balance, serious memory loss and mix up my words a lot. The diseases reduce my ability to function.
Normal parts of life are such an uphill battle – like food shopping, walking, and showering. It can be very overwhelming. It shouldn’t be this hard.
There is so much more to these illnesses - enough to say it has taken over my life and the chance to experience so much. It has impacted me in many ways and it was heart breaking to stop doing everything I loved to do.
I have always had a deep love of nature and the great outdoors but now spend most of my time at home, indoors. It breaks my heart that the illness has reduced my ability for charitable work, usually with nature, animals and people.
I'd love to have the fantastic career I could be capable of, make a difference, live life to the full in every way, create many memories with friends, to be social and enjoy my time. To have meaningful and rewarding relationships but instead, my realty is that I live with relentless suffering from the conditions. It is hard to imagine what life could be without it.
Your generosity will give me the chance to receive transformative medical treatment that I desperately need. It has been successfully used to treat some cancers and is a hopeful treatment for Lyme Disease and other complicated conditions.
You will give me the ability to move forward with hope and health while I am still young enough to build a full life and have a promising future.
Please help me take my life back
The Treatment:
There is no current treatment on the NHS for Late - stage Lyme and other Tick-Borne Diseases, therefore I have been left no choice but to pay for private treatment in Poland. Having now been unable to work for a year and a half, with my personal savings used up, and having taken out loans, I am badly in need of your help.
These funds are to access pioneering Supportive Oligonucleotide Technique (SOT) treatment which is are injected into the system and prevents the bacteria from making essential proteins, essentially shutting off replication. Unable to replicate, the bacteria are unable to cause disease. My treatment plan includes additional treatments for secondary conditions and to support my body in the healing process. I have used personal loans to fund for the treatment I have had so far, that need to be paid back. These are included this in the GoFundMe.
Your Help:
I'm desperate to beat these diseases, to be free of this constant struggle, where I'm left just trying to get through each day. All donations are appreciated, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
If anyone can help with the campaign, please drop me a message. Thank you for reading, please share my story. It will also help to raise awareness on how insidious tick - borne diseases are and how crucial prevention and early diagnosis with appropriate treatment is.
The Bracknell News covered my story here: https://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/19832922.bracknell-woman-reaches-support-21-years-pain-/?ref=rsss
Briony x
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More information about my diagnosis:
My Diagnosis
Late- Stage Lyme Disease, Bartonellosis, Babesiosis and Anaplasmosis. The diseases are multi systemic, meaning they can affect all areas of the body and they are very complex and harder to treat in late- stage infection.
I also have Seronegative Inflammatory Arthritis alongside secondary conditions which are likely caused by not treating the underlying cause for so long; Secondary Mitochondriopathy and Oxidative Stress, Lymphocytic Vasculitis, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, Gut issues, Si Joint Dysfunction and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (and Pelvic Congestion).
Organiser
Briony Hunt
Organiser
England