Amy O’Sullivan was a happy and healthy young woman.
She was a personal trainer who was always on the go. Like many young people, she loved to travel.
One of five children to Michael and Carolyn O’Sullivan, Amy, and boyfriend Peter, had their lives ahead of them.
Then Amy’s world changed.
“To start with she was getting severe head pains, even severe flu-like symptoms. Then it progressed to mild seizures and muscle cramps,” Amy’s brother Des said.
These were the first signs Amy had contracted Lyme disease.
“It moved to having trouble remembering things and losing her train of thought,” Des said.
“She gets swelling on the brain which causes a lot of pain as well. She has really severe seizures and convulsions where her body goes into spasm.
“She has days where she can’t get out of bed and other times where she gets such severe seizures and convulsions it takes three to four people to protect her.”
Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease that isn’t recognised in this country.
That lack of recognition in the Australian medical community led to almost a year of misdiagnosis.
Amy, now 30, fears the delay could lead to her contracting Alzheimer’s, a disease that claimed the life of her grandfather.
“The treatment in Australia is not only extremely inadequate but it’s also ridiculously expensive,” Des said.
When Des isn’t caring for his sister, he’s at the Essendon Football Club where he works as a Sports Science Performance Analyst.
The emotional and financial toll on the family has been significant.
Life for the O’Sullivan’s has changed forever.
“She’s under 24 hour day care with my parents. It’s turned their lives upside down.
“They’re in their mid-50’s and in a period of their life where they thought they’d have their kids off enjoying their lives and they could just sit back and support us.”
Amy’s current treatment costs around $2,000 per week to maintain.
“Dad owns a business. He’s had to try and source ways to run that. The cost of the treatment for Amy has put a lot of stress on the family as well.
“I’ve got an 11 year old sister. For someone so young to be seeing that, it’s very hard for all family members to see, especially Mum and Dad.”
The family is trying to raise enough money to send Amy to Germany where she can get the treatment she so desperately needs.
“Months and months of research has gone in to where we can get the best treatment for her.
“Our priority is to get her healthy again and to raise awareness about the disease in Australia so that current and future sufferers can get the treatment they need,” Des said.
If you would like to help Amy please visit tickedoff.net.au
There you will also find information about how you can donate as well as important upcoming events including a fun run this Sunday and a movie night in June.
