A mum claims she and her son who have Lyme disease face a "slow death" if they cannot raise £100,000 for treatment.
Emily Gilmour, 36, and her son Oliver, five, suffer from the infection, which is caused by a bite from an infected tick, and struggle with pain every day.
The mum, who lives near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, thinks she may have been bitten 23 years ago when she suffered flu-like symptoms after going hillwalking.
She told the Daily Record: "I never recovered entirely and suffered joint pain ever since but not enough to be really life-changing."
But in 2020, her symptoms worsened as she started seeing her hair fall out, her vision become blurry and she began sweating a lot during the night while feeling cold during the day.
She explained: "By the end of the year, my symptoms were extreme. I started getting names mixed up. I would get in my car and drive and have no idea how I got there when I stopped."
After a struggle for diagnosis, brain lesions were found along with low adrenal function and an enlarged heart - and in 2021, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease.
Emily found a doctor in Dublin to help her treat the condition, but by this time her son Oliver also started showing signs of the disease.
The mum said: "There is evidence it can be passed on in pregnancy or through breast milk."
Research also suggests that Lyme disease in babies can lead to autism and ADHD - and Oliver has both.
The pair had some treatment for the condition but are now trying to raise £100,000 to go to Germany, where they will undergo hyperthermia, which heats the body to flush out the bacteria causing the problem.
On their fundraiser, Emily wrote: "The NHS do not have an agreed treatment plan for Post Treatment Lyme Disease meaning that there no support in any form for us.
"If you present at A&E/GP with a tick or a rash, you will, at best, be prescribed 3 – 6 weeks of doxycycline. If your symptoms persist after this point, you will be classified as a person with ‘Post Treatment Lyme Disease’ and will be told that there is no further support which can be provided."
Emily and Oliver suffer from a number of the infections and the medication they have had so far has not been able to successfully treat all of them.
The mum said they spent around £40,000 in the past four years on various treatments and supports - and £25,000 just in the past 12 months.
She said the cost does not include tests, consultations and MRIs which were originally covered by the family's medical insurance.
Emily said that without the treatment, she and her son will "become severely disabled" and "suffer a slow death".
Lyme disease is usually easier to treat if it is diagnosed early, the NHS explains. An early symptom can be a circular or oval shape rash around a tick bite.
The rash can appear up to three months after being bitten by an infected tick, but usually it appears within one to four weeks.
You can donate to Emily's and Oliver's fundraiser here.
