Riellys Lyme disease fund
Donation protected
We desperately need your help in raising $30,000 to send Rielly to Germany/malayasia for treatment of Lyme Disease.
Rielly grew up in a small country town in Victoria, Australia and moved to Queensland at age 22. He had always been healthy and active but it was in Queensland that he developed his passion for body building. With dedication, commitment and self-discipline, a strict training program and diet regime he felt ready and confident to compete in the Nabba Body Building competition in 2014. The following year in June he competed in the Asia Pacific in the Gold Coast. He took out first place! It was a proud achievement for Rielly and his family.

However, it was only 12 months later that Rielly started experiencing severe headaches, muscle pain and a range of other ailments. Doctors were quick to dismiss any illness and he was told to simply take some pain relief and wait until the symptoms subside.
But as the number of symptoms grew and the pain throughout his body intensified doctors were no closer to diagnosing the illness. It was mystifying to us all and we couldn’t understand why the doctors didn’t do more tests or why they couldn’t find the cause of this unbearable pain Rielly was battling every day. He simply couldn’t go on like this and some days felt like he just didn’t want to live in this constant pain any longer. He was prescribed anxiety tablets and anti-depressants. Then he was recommended to have Botox in his neck to help with the pain along with a combination of other medications. This was only treating the symptoms rather than the cause of the issue. Being misdiagnosed, the treatments the doctor prescribed for him only amplified his symptoms.
Over the following 18 months the symptoms varied and progressively got worse. He was suffering from depilating fatigue, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, seizures, tremors, sleeplessness, stiffness and aching muscles. It was difficult eating and drinking as it caused vomiting most days. He was unable to work and struggled to do the normal everyday things that most of us take for granted. There have been 40 hospital admissions, some emergency, with his heart racing exceedingly fast and the need to be transported by ambulance. His GP has seen him more than 100 times in 18 months.

By now Rielly had realised that if he were to get better he needed to take control of his illness, as Doctors and specialists had no solution for what was causing his health to so rapidly deteriorate. During this time Rielly invested every cent he had into seeing specialists and having tests done to get some answers. With no health insurance, $50,000 was soon eaten up in doctors’ bills, treatments and medications. Dozens of specialists (costing more than $500 per visit) were seen and as many tests were performed. These included MRI’s on his back, neck and brain, bone density scans, chest x-rays, osteopaths, sports masseuse and more. Rielly was still no closer to finding a reason that could cause so many unrelated symptoms. Furthermore, Rielly was sick of being told “it was all in his head”. It was frustrating and exhausting. His hope was with the pain specialist; with whom he was on the waiting list.
Unfortunately, the pain specialist was unable to help him manage the chronic pain he continued to be in daily. At Rielly’s insistence, he was referred to a Lyme specialist. Lyme disease is not a recognised illness in Australia and many doctors have no training or experience with the disease. It was a long shot as he had never been overseas, nor could remember being bitten by a tick, but the Lyme specialist felt certain he displayed all the symptoms associated with the infection. His bloods were sent to Germany at the cost of $2400 for testing of Lyme disease. The positive results for Borella, and Bartonella a co-infection of Lyme Disease, was received with mixed feelings. There was relief to FINALLY have a diagnosis, but also fear in not fully knowing what this meant.
The Borella and Bartonella Infection
had been transmitted to Rielly by a very sick dog 18 months earlier, who ended up being put down because of its unexplained illness.

Now that Rielly has achieved a formal diagnosis of what has caused his physical health to decline so tremendously, he now needs to receive the correct treatment. Since the existence of Lyme disease isn’t acknowledged in Australia, it is very difficult to receive any treatment that has satisfactory results. The costs associated with treatments are very expensive and not covered by Medicare. Rielly is at the end of his tether, as he is now bedridden most days unable to do the things we take for granted and is not eligible for the disability pension as Lyme disease is not recognised in Australia. The financial burden has put a huge amount of pressure on his relationships with friends and family and his wellbeing.
Our goal is to reach $30,000 to send Rielly to Germany or Malaysia where they have a high success rate with their hyperthermia treatment. The course takes 3 weeks to complete and so many patients with Lyme disease have made a full recovery, We just ask for the opportunity for Rielly to get his life back. Please kindly consider giving to Rielly to help him through this arduous journey of recovery. Your generosity is so greatly appreciated and you have no idea what it means to him. We hope to end his suffering.
THANK YOU for reading Riellys story.
https://funds.gofundme.com/dashboard/fnvryw-riellys-lyme-disease-fund
Rielly grew up in a small country town in Victoria, Australia and moved to Queensland at age 22. He had always been healthy and active but it was in Queensland that he developed his passion for body building. With dedication, commitment and self-discipline, a strict training program and diet regime he felt ready and confident to compete in the Nabba Body Building competition in 2014. The following year in June he competed in the Asia Pacific in the Gold Coast. He took out first place! It was a proud achievement for Rielly and his family.
However, it was only 12 months later that Rielly started experiencing severe headaches, muscle pain and a range of other ailments. Doctors were quick to dismiss any illness and he was told to simply take some pain relief and wait until the symptoms subside.
But as the number of symptoms grew and the pain throughout his body intensified doctors were no closer to diagnosing the illness. It was mystifying to us all and we couldn’t understand why the doctors didn’t do more tests or why they couldn’t find the cause of this unbearable pain Rielly was battling every day. He simply couldn’t go on like this and some days felt like he just didn’t want to live in this constant pain any longer. He was prescribed anxiety tablets and anti-depressants. Then he was recommended to have Botox in his neck to help with the pain along with a combination of other medications. This was only treating the symptoms rather than the cause of the issue. Being misdiagnosed, the treatments the doctor prescribed for him only amplified his symptoms.
Over the following 18 months the symptoms varied and progressively got worse. He was suffering from depilating fatigue, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, seizures, tremors, sleeplessness, stiffness and aching muscles. It was difficult eating and drinking as it caused vomiting most days. He was unable to work and struggled to do the normal everyday things that most of us take for granted. There have been 40 hospital admissions, some emergency, with his heart racing exceedingly fast and the need to be transported by ambulance. His GP has seen him more than 100 times in 18 months.
By now Rielly had realised that if he were to get better he needed to take control of his illness, as Doctors and specialists had no solution for what was causing his health to so rapidly deteriorate. During this time Rielly invested every cent he had into seeing specialists and having tests done to get some answers. With no health insurance, $50,000 was soon eaten up in doctors’ bills, treatments and medications. Dozens of specialists (costing more than $500 per visit) were seen and as many tests were performed. These included MRI’s on his back, neck and brain, bone density scans, chest x-rays, osteopaths, sports masseuse and more. Rielly was still no closer to finding a reason that could cause so many unrelated symptoms. Furthermore, Rielly was sick of being told “it was all in his head”. It was frustrating and exhausting. His hope was with the pain specialist; with whom he was on the waiting list.
Unfortunately, the pain specialist was unable to help him manage the chronic pain he continued to be in daily. At Rielly’s insistence, he was referred to a Lyme specialist. Lyme disease is not a recognised illness in Australia and many doctors have no training or experience with the disease. It was a long shot as he had never been overseas, nor could remember being bitten by a tick, but the Lyme specialist felt certain he displayed all the symptoms associated with the infection. His bloods were sent to Germany at the cost of $2400 for testing of Lyme disease. The positive results for Borella, and Bartonella a co-infection of Lyme Disease, was received with mixed feelings. There was relief to FINALLY have a diagnosis, but also fear in not fully knowing what this meant.
The Borella and Bartonella Infection
had been transmitted to Rielly by a very sick dog 18 months earlier, who ended up being put down because of its unexplained illness.
Now that Rielly has achieved a formal diagnosis of what has caused his physical health to decline so tremendously, he now needs to receive the correct treatment. Since the existence of Lyme disease isn’t acknowledged in Australia, it is very difficult to receive any treatment that has satisfactory results. The costs associated with treatments are very expensive and not covered by Medicare. Rielly is at the end of his tether, as he is now bedridden most days unable to do the things we take for granted and is not eligible for the disability pension as Lyme disease is not recognised in Australia. The financial burden has put a huge amount of pressure on his relationships with friends and family and his wellbeing.
Our goal is to reach $30,000 to send Rielly to Germany or Malaysia where they have a high success rate with their hyperthermia treatment. The course takes 3 weeks to complete and so many patients with Lyme disease have made a full recovery, We just ask for the opportunity for Rielly to get his life back. Please kindly consider giving to Rielly to help him through this arduous journey of recovery. Your generosity is so greatly appreciated and you have no idea what it means to him. We hope to end his suffering.
THANK YOU for reading Riellys story.
https://funds.gofundme.com/dashboard/fnvryw-riellys-lyme-disease-fund
Organizer
Rielly Johnson
Organizer
Labrador, QLD