Stem cells from newborn’s umbilical cords may provide the only relief to severe symptoms of Tick Borne Disease as suffered by Suzie Ormsy-Jervis 57, of Victoria Point.
Ms Jervis is currently trying to raise funds for the $25,000 needed for the treatment in an American hospital.
Treatment is not available for the condition (formerly Lyme Disease) which is not acknowledged in Australia.
Ms Jervis said stem cell treatment in Germany in 2014 had already provided relief, but a bout of septosemia in 2016 had knocked out the new cells.
“The treatment in 2014 brought me back from the brink of death and I am now looking at doing this again,” she said.
Ms Jervis became sick from a tick bite in 2002, potentially received at Macleay Island.
“In 2006, I became very ill, but it wasn’t until 2012 that my blood was sent to America and I was found positive to borreliosis. The tick squashes your immune system and you can’t get well. It’s a viscious cycle because the antibiotics ravage your body and cause their own problems,” she said.
Ms Jervis said she gave up work in 2003 and can no longer stand easily as her blood doesn’t circulate well.
“I need to walk but I pass out easily. I live in a recliner. Basically I have sat in it for the past eight years. In the car, I have to put my feet on the dash,” she said.
Ms Jervis said that she was on IV and oral antibiotics which were used to treat the various infections caused by the tick. She has also become sensitive to mould and chemicals.
“My body can’t tolerate things any more. I have a two year old grand daughter and I can’t take her to the park. I have to shut the curtains because I can’t tolerate the sun on the tiles and I can pass out from going to the toilet. With treatment, I hope to put this back into the dormancy box,” she said.
Besides the physical effects, the condition has also crippled the family financially with husband Greg saying he has a $1m debt but only owns $700,000-$800,000 in assets.
“We just keep mortgaging and re-mortgaging. And now we are looking for the money to go to America for stem cell treatment,” Mr Jervis said.
Donations can be made on youcaring.com/susieormsbyjervis-845726/thankyou and more on facebook.com/notes/greg-gt-jervis/my-story-in-a-nut-shell/667753929976056/
