To family and friends far and wide,

Thankyou for taking the time to read our story

Please understand that in me writing this and you reading it, I have failed to independantly save my daughter and myself from this crippling illness that has taken over our lives.

This merciless illness has stripped us to our bare bones.

This past 18months has been the hardest months for me, my husband & my daughters life. We are living day to day in survival mode.

It began with sudden emergancy hospital visits. This led to many misdiagnosis, to me later having a sudden complete nervous breakdown. Our lives have been held captive to this disease.

I have been misdiagnosed and left on the wrong medication for 10 years!! Atleast most of that time, I was still fairly functional and able to work up until now.

Prescription long term medication has led my body to suffer osteoparosis. I now need a replacement hip at the ages of 35 aswell as new teeth.

I have been told I have lupus to rheumatoid to connective tissue to leukemia. From Ms and potential cancer scares, encephslitis, we have been on the merry go round that is the “health system”

Last August I almost died.

My realisation of the severity of my situation emerged the day I was lying on the hospital floor with my body convulsing. My heart skipping and slowing down 42bpm with Bradycardia to suddenly speeding up to tachycardia at 158bpm. I had my first seizure and collapsed.

The unsympathetic doctor stood over me on the floor and told me they had no idea whats wrong with my body “Perhaps I was hungry and needed a burger” They discharged me and that is the moment I knew the answers were not going to be found in our system. I had always trusted and believed they knew everything up to this point.

I have travelled far and wide to get to the bottom of my illness.

From Mexico to Canada to Ireland and allot of clinics inbetween.

I had numerous tests and drs diagnosis. Ive got second and third opinions and they have found the same thing over and over In my blood tests.… I was suffering with Chronic long term bacterial infections. This had taken over my body & spread to my brain and heart.

I tested positive for a brain infection that previously was put down to “anxiety“ and treated with antidepressants

I was suffering hallucinations, vertigo, insomnia, flashes of light, brain zaps, seizures, ear pain, tooth pain and temporary blindness and panic attacks and repetitive sounds in my head.

I had a form of malaria, a heart infection and lyme arthritis in my joints.

Finally, doctors were finding answers. I cried in the hope for remission… but it'll cost!

I came home and told the uk doctors my diagnosis… Something they never had looked into for the 10+ years I had been sick.

They were reluctant to test but they confirmed with their own bloods, I was infact suffering with chronic, active bacterial infections.

The most they could offer was a few weeks of doxycyclin and that would be it…

Bacterial infections need a year if not more of multiple antibiotics daily so once again, I was on my own.

My symptoms

chronic insomnia

hallucinations

light and sound sensitivity

heart palpations

lyme carditis- heart issues

panic attacks

seizures

heart palpatations

joint deformities (loss of use in hands)

systemic pain throughout the body

hair loss

skin rashes

chronic anaemia

fibromyalgia

autoimmune (immitates lupus)

miscarriage (4)

blood clots

kidney disease

gallbaladder disease

urine infections

My husband and I have spent 28k on treatment.

We had one month of a normal happy marriage before I received a cat scratch from an infected cat that tipped the balance. I contracted (bartonella) Pushing my already weak body over the edge and putting me in hospital with the above symptoms.

We didnt have our honeymoon because we put all the money into treatment. We havent had a marriage because my husband has become my carer and he has had to wash, bath, feed, fund me and my medications and watch me scream and cry in pain wishing for it all to end when the pain gets so bad.

He has cried with me sometimes and we mourn the life we so desperately wanted together.

We have paid for stem cells, plasmaphoresis, iron infusions, ozone, antibiotics, iv drips etc etc

Thankfully, after all this pesistance, my symptoms are beginning to subside like the brain infection and insomnia. I have one more round of treatment to do.

I am still crippled with pain in all my joints and disabled but I now have carers coming to wash and feed me whilst my husband works 10 hour days.

He is trying to find the money to pay off our 15k credit card bill, feed us, keep harriet clothed, a roof over our head and get me back on a flight for the final treatment and Harriet for hers.

We have been living on one salary as I became bedbound and we are getting no help financially.

In the middle of all this, my daughter began to come down with symptoms.

It would appear from her blood work that unfortunately, I had passed this disease down to her through the placenta (something our health system now researching)

Harriet’s symptoms

suicidal ideation - cutting herself at 12 years old (social services have asked her to sterilise her weapons before cutting) that is the extent of our help in this country

chronic insomnia- she doesnt sleep she cries in bed most of the night

chronic onset ocd (things must be just right or she cant cope)

skin sensitivity and rashes

light and sound sensititivy

chronic stomach pain

constant vertigo

nausea

anaemia

rage outbutsts

tearfulness

migraines

Flu like stmptoms daily

Body temperature disregulation

Helpless and hopelessness

Muscle pain

Appetite loss

weight loss

Vitamin deficiencies

On average, 48% of people with these infections kill themselves!

This high figure is due to brain infections causing intrusive thoughts and feelings of panic and anxiety but also because there is little help for the a cure from our medical system past 6 weeks antibiotics. This wont help a chronic infection which means you must seek help privately and people dont have the money to get well…. So they give up on their life.

My friend killed herself last month due to being let down by the health system. She fought for a diagnosis but couldnt find the strength to carry on once she got it asknew she didnt have the money for treatment : (

Other countries are more advanced in treating and understanding these infections and the severity but unfortunately, we dont live in one so we must travel to one and thats where allot of the cost accumulate.

If you know me, then you know I feel bad at the fact I have to ask anyone for anything.

I have always tried to be self sufficient and I like to help others. I have always have enjoyed helping others which is why I stayed in health care until this forced me to give it up.

I have had to swallow my pride today for the sake of my daughter.

This illness has brought me to my knees quite literally.

My Pip appeal has been unsuccessful. I dont know how they can think our lives havent changed enough to need help.

I have had to give up my job as a health professional 7months ago. My hands are so deformed, I couldnt grip my tools any longer.

I am looking for a remote job I can do from my bed on bad days but in the meantime, my daughter is really struggling emotionally and physically and I need to get her on a flight & back to a Dr

I have found a doctor in the USA who has treated thousands of patients and I have personally spoken to many sucessful patients becoming free of illness from his treatments.

A childs response to treatment is quicker than adults as their immune system is stronger.

I cant stand the thought of harriet being sucked in to the system like me and being left with osteoparosis like me from long term wrong medications.

I am completely dependant on strong painkillers, steroids and I have been on biologicals and chemotherapy. They caused long term issues

I have a chance to save her so she can have a normal happy, healthy life again.

If you've come this far reading this, I appreciate so much the time you took to read and understand our predicament.

If you can help us with ANY funds what so ever, we will be forever grateful to you. If its the price of a Costa coffee , this will be a bit less we have to try and find.

My plan once I am healthy enough is to help other people who are suffering with sickness and being miadiagnosed and guide them back to health

Thankyou so much for your time

Love always

Kirstie and Harriet xx

Bags of fluid drained from my blood