STORY OF THE SISTERS DIAGNOSED WITH LYME DISEASE
A documentary to be broadcast on LMFM this Bank Holiday Monday entitled “The Tick That Changed Our Lives” will tell the story of two sisters from Curragha in County Meath who were diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease and multiple systemic infections in 2014.
Siobhan and Clodagh Laffey both experienced a rapid decline in their health and after undergoing many tests in Ireland Siobhan was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2011. However in Clodagh’s case doctors could not come up with any explanation as to why she was so ill and her condition deteriorated to the point that she was left bed-bound, lost her speech and suffered temporary paralysis.
Ironically it was a family friend who suggested that Clodagh should be tested for Lyme Disease also known as Lyme Borreliosis which is an infection caused by a spiral-shaped bacterium (Borrelia Burgdorferi) that is transmitted to humans by bites from ticks infected with the bacteria.
After Clodagh failed to secure a positive diagnosis in Ireland, she travelled to a specialist clinic in Germany where she eventually tested positive for Chronic Lyme Disease and a number of coinfections. Following on from this Siobhan realised she displayed many of the symptoms associated with Lyme Disease, she too was tested in Germany and received a positive diagnosis.
This 60 minute radio programme documents the Laffey sisters experience both in Ireland and in Germany. Siobhan and Clodagh will give heart breaking accounts of their daily struggles in coping with this debilitating disease. This programme will also feature interviews from their parents Michael and Eleanor who struggled at times watching their young daughters’ health spiral out of control. It will also hear from Dr Jack Lambert who is a Consultant in Infectious Disease at the Mater Hospital Dublin and UCD and Dr Carsten Nicolas who founded the BCA Clinic in Augsburg Germany where Siobhan and Clodagh are being treated. Ann Maher, who also suffers with Lyme Disease will speak about Tick Talk Ireland, a voluntary run support group for people living with Lyme.
Presenting and Producing the Programme is LMFM’s Senior News Reporter Éilís Sheehy, whose previous radio documentaries include the 2016 PPI Award Winning ‘Caught In The Cross-Fire Of The Troubles’, ‘ The Life And Times of John Boyle O’ Reilly’, ‘ The Dundalk Pile Light’ and ‘ The Journey Of The Little Tern’.
The programme will air on Bank Holiday Monday, May 7th, around 1.15pm, straight after the 1 o’ clock news.