KILLORGLIN MOM TAKES FIGHT TO DÁIL OVER LYME DISEASE
GROUP TRAVELS TO DUBLIN TO RAISE ISSUE OF LYME DISEASE DIAGNOSIS
THE mother of a teenage girl with Lyme disease is taking her fight to Dáil Eireann to raise awareness of the debilitating disease. Therese West from Killorglin has endured the heart-break of watching her 16-year-old daughter Chloe’s quality of life erode dramatically because of Lyme Disease.
Therese is travelling to the capital as part of a group 30 people involved with the ‘ Tick Tock’ awareness group on Wednesday morning.
She said it’s high time the government took Lyme Disease seriously - a disease nearing epidemic proportions in Kerry according to the Killorglin mom.
Life for Chloe started to deteriorate suddenly when she was in first-year in 2015. But it was only last year that she developed serious pains all over her body, insomnia, blurred vision and listlessness. Chloe was eventually diagnosed with Lyme Disease following blood tests in Germany and she spent 4 weeks of this summer’s school holiday undergoing specialist treatment there.
“My daughter came back from Germany feeling a lot better this summer. She’s far from cured, but at least she was able to go back to school, something she couldn’t do last year,” Therese said.
The group will protest at the gates of the Dáil and TD Brendan Griffin has been in touch with Therese to say he will meet with the deputation. Some members of the group will also give a special presentation before a Dáil committee about Lyme Disease.
Theresa became increasingly frustrated at the lack of diagnoses for Chloe here at home which is when she first decided to travel to Germany along with other sufferers who have sought treatment there due to the frustrations of inadequate diagnose in Ireland.
“When we were in Germany getting treatment there was three other people from Ireland receiving the same treatment. How rare is that to have four people from home getting treatment for Lyme Disease in the same clinic? I have two other younger kids and my husband had to stay at home with them while I went to Germany with Chloe. It was very hard. ” Therese added.
At the moment Chloe is off her treatment but she may have to return at a later date to Germany.
“There are too many people out there suffering from this disease who are not getting the help they deserve. If health officials here are going do something about Lyme Disease, they should at least start by recognising it’s a major problem,” she said.