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Aberdeenshire family plead for Scottish Government help in battle against Lyme Disease
The Scottish Government have been urged to help a Scots family who are fundraising for potentially life-saving treatment in Germany.
Emily Gilmour and her son Oliver, from Blackburn near Inverurie, both suffer from Lyme Disease and are trying to raise £45,000 for treatment in Germany to cure the infection which could leave them severely disabled.
A GoFundMe page has been launched which has already raised almost £15,000 to help the family in their battle against the illness which Emily says “robs you and the people around you of any joy or happiness”.
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Douglas Lumsden, North-east MSP for the Scottish Conservatives, raised the family’s funding fight in parliament after being contacted by Emily who told him it is frightening that the NHS do not have an agreed treatment plan for post-treatment Lyme Disease.
The mum thinks she may have been bitten 23 years ago, recalling flu-like symptoms after going hillwalking.
Following a battle to be diagnosed, brain lesions were found along with low adrenal function and an enlarged heart when she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2021.
Raising the issue at Holyrood, Mr Lumsden said the Gilmour family had already spent £40,000 on private treatment abroad and urged the Scottish Government to assist in helping to get the procedure in place in Scotland rather than Germany.
Further funding would help go towards hyperthermia treatment which heats the body to flush out the bacteria causing the problem.
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.
Mr Lumsden later 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.”
Emily and Oliver’s GoFundMe page can be found at: www.gofundme.com/f/emily-oliver-battle-lyme-disease
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