Illness baffles doctors

LYME disease battle . . . Esther Lunt with her father David

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CONCERNED parents of a 10-year-old girl struck down with life-threatening Lyme disease have launched a desperate appeal in a bid for vital treatment.

Mary and David Lunt are raising cash to jet off to a clinic in America in November, where daughter Esther will be able to get treated.

The condition is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks and can often be treated effectively if it is detected early on. Sufferers often experience symptoms which mimic other illnesses, making it notoriously difficult to diagnose.

Esther was bitten by a tick just before a family trip to Oswestry, Wales, last May. She developed rashes all over her body a few days later.

She was taken to hospital, where doctors were baffled as to what was wrong with her.

Mary (51) said: "When she was changing her clothes in Wales, I couldn't believe it. I nearly fell through the floor.

"We dialled 999. She was in hospital from Monday to Thursday.

"They didn't know what to do for her at the hospital. They gave her antibiotics and steroids."

Esther had three tests which all came back negative for Lyme disease. In the UK a clinical diagnosis is rarely made and some patients remain undiagnosed.

Blood tests to diagnose Lyme disease tend to have low sensitivity levels, which means that some patients produce a negative blood test result even when they do have the condition.

As Esther's condition continued to deteriorate, Mary and David ­- pastors at Dunamis Christian Church, in Thorley Street, Failsworth ­- turned to Lyme Disease UK, a support network, who said it was best for them to get tested abroad.

They heeded the organisation's advice and the tests came back positive for Lyme Disease in May, this year. But as they were done abroad they aren't recognised by doctors in this country, which means Esther is unable to get the right treatment.

The blood tests also showed that Esther had received so many co-infections, and that her immune system was exhausted and had started to attack itself.

David said: "There's not an awful lot you can do. There's nobody you can turn to.

"Doctors do what they can but their hands are tied. They're limited in what they can do.

"Our doctor has been great in as much as he has been able to do."

Since last year, Esther has lost over two stone in weight as she has little appetite and is constantly tired. Her parents keep a vigil at night, as this is when she will have her coughing fits. Her sister Abigail (11) is also at a loss as to what is happening to her younger sister, who was once so full of energy.

"We have to fight to get food down her," said Mary. "I said you're going to die if you don't eat. She's got no desire to eat and when she does she says she's full and complains she's in pain.

"It has been mental torture."

David said: "It has been a testing time time for us as a family. It has been very difficult watching her go through that."

The devoted parents will do all they can to take Esther to the Jemsek Speciality Clinic, in Washington DC, which can hopefully provide her with the bespoke treatment she needs.

The first visit is said to cost around £20,000 but then there is the cost of her prescriptions, consultant fees and blood tests, which could total at least £100,000.

Esther will then need to go back to America at least once a year for follow-up appointments.

If they manage to get £100,000 or more they will try to set up a charity to provide support to parents who are in the same position.

"She's missing days of school," Mary added. "We want to get her to America before she starts missing months or years of school.

"If we can't get the money we will probably borrow against our house if we can.

"Esther is so talented and gifted. She was so full of sunshine, she played the piano. That's all gone.

"She likes My Little Pony ­- she used to walk everywhere on all fours like a pony.

"She doesn't want to do anything except stay in bed."

"It breaks my heart."

David added: "You feel helpless. That's what you feel the most. You wish you could take it away from her."

To donate visit www.gofundme.com/2krhscs.