Hi All, Imagine being ill and you can't go to the doctors or hospital and get medication that will make you feel better or for the pain to go away. we are lucky we can normally get treated but for people like Sophie there is no treatment that 100% works and makes the illness go away.I started this page for my dear friend Sophie. Sophie is an inspirational incredibly strong person who was diagnosed with Lyme disease and many other co-infections.Sophie's body is finding it hard to cope with these illnesses but she still continues to fight on and help other people suffering with her illness or symptoms. This page will not only help Sophie achieve her goal and dreams of helping other people prevent and manage this disease but also help with finding a cure faster as there is not enough money to fund the research,tests etc.Just imagine if your family member, friend or children got the disease and they were in pain with no medical treatment or cure or what if you could of stopped it before they were infected.The treatment for Lyme disease is so expensive as it isn't funded or recognized.With your help we can change all of these things. My saying is If you can change one life in this world you have helped.

All the money on this page will go towards, treatments, helping prevent other people getting the disease and research for healthcare and awareness so people like Sophie don't have to suffer. If you would like to see updates of what your money is going towards this will be evident on Sophie's blog which is posted at the end.

Here is the story from Sophie's point of view.

My name is Sophie Ward, I suffer with Lyme Disease, along with a number of co-infections including Coxsackievirus.

I blog my journey, offering advice, uplifting poems and a place where fellow chronic illness sufferers can seek comfort that they aren’t struggling alone.

Lyme is widely blacklisted around the world. It is dismissed as a ‘false’ illness because it is so hard to test and treat. It’s widely known that many health professionals have been sued, lost their licenses and forced into retirement for helping and treating patients suffering from the disease. Insurance companies refuse to pay for treatment and testings as chronic Lyme is a life-long battle, where regular treatments are needed. The NHS DON’T recognise Lyme disease and discount testings done abroad. However UK tests are even more inaccurate than those carried out in overseas. They have raised the bar for tests coming out as positive for Lyme. Leading many patients to be called ‘crazy’, going on being misdiagnosed and suffer alone in silence.

After almost a DECADE of suffering with an extremely long list of symptoms I got the diagnosis of Lyme after bloods I had sent off to Armin Labs came back positive.

My symptoms consist of;

- joint pain - low body temperature - suppressed immune system

- migraines -burning- liver pain

- nausea - intolerances; to food, chemicals and materials

- spine pain - neck stiffness - ‘hung over’ feeling

To name just a few.

As you can see the above are quite ‘common’ symptoms that can mimic so many other illnesses and diseases.

I have been called crazy and told it’s all in my head. I know that pain is real!

That’s why more money is necessary for more research to create better testings and treatments.

Treatments are extremely expensive and unpredictable.

Every Lyme disease sufferer is unique. We all suffer with different co-infections and so different treatments work, differently on everyone.

Meaning you could invest thousands, sell your home, move abroad etc for treatments that may not be successful.

It’s a truly devastating disease.

Lyme is now becoming known world wide as the hidden epidemic and if the health professionals continue to ignore the disease it could become a SERIOUS threat to us all. It is even seen by many as more of a threat to our society than HIV.

This is why my passion has become raising awareness in hope I can prevent, protect and advise people on the disease, the risks and where to seek help.

All the support and love I receive is what drives me to keep on fighting!

Thank you for reading.

You can keep updated with my blog and my journey on; www.sophantastic.org/

Thank you for for visting the page and even if it is a small donation anything will help.

If you wish to contact me , my name is olivia and my email olivia@olmack.com.

Thankyou

~Best regards

Olivia and Sophie.