The Scottish Government has been urged to help a mum and her son to find lifesaving treatment for Lyme disease.
Emily Gilmour and her son, Oliver, were diagnosed with the disease in 2021 - more than two decades after the mum was infected on a hike. After spending £40,000 on private treatment aboard and a lengthy battle to receive a diagnosis, the family have been told that the NHS do not have an agreed treatment plan for post-treatment Lyme disease.
In her desperate bid to find a cure, the mum, from Blackburn near Inverurie, is trying to raise £45,000 for treatment in Germany to cure the infection which could leave them severely disabled. The Scottish Daily Express reports that the family's case was raised in the Scottish Parliament by MSP Douglas Lumsden after Emily reached out to the Tory representative for help.
He said: "Lyme Disease is a ticking time bomb across Scotland especially as we head into the summer months. It has been particularly shocking to hear about the Gilmour family’s battle against this frightening disease which is having a devastating impact on their day-to-day life.
“Emily and her son have been left to fend for themselves due to the unacceptable lack of support available to people who suffer from this terrible infection. It’s dreadful that the family have had no other choice but to fundraise themselves for treatment in Germany.
“I am pushing the Scottish Government to intervene and offer the long-awaited help that the Gilmour family desperately needs to find treatment closer to home rather than abroad.
“The Scottish Government needs to come up with a robust plan for dealing with early prevention, early detection and treatment for people suffering from Lyme disease to prevent other families from facing the same heartache as the Gilmour’s.”
In response to Mr Lumsden’s question, public health minister Jenni Minto said she would investigate the Gilmour family’s case to see if the government could help with finding treatment closer to their Blackburn home. Emily and Oliver’s GoFundMe page can be found here.
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