Lyme disease is purported to have claimed a life and it’s not how you might think.
Is Lyme disease fatal? Last week, a parent in Canada spoke about his daughter’s death. After suffering for years with what was originally un-diagnosed Lyme disease, Amelie Champagne took her own life. Her father says that Amelie’s eventual positive Lyme diagnosis came too late, as the disease had ravaged her body and mind. He credits the severe impact on Amelie’s brain resulted in her suicide at the age of 22.
Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed and not diagnosed at all.
As we well know, Lyme disease can result in maladies of the body and mind. Well-known cases, such as those of Kris Kristofferson and Justin Bieber shone a light on the condition. Mr. Kristofferson suffered for more than a decade with undiagnosed Lyme disease, and was misdiagnosed with Fibromyalgia and dementia. Joint pain and degradation of mental capacity are both Lyme symptoms. Justin, also a Canadian, released a statement in 2020, in which he said that Lyme had negatively affected his, “brain function, energy, and overall health.”
Is Lyme disease fatal if it is the cause for suffering that results in suicide?
Lyme disease is fatal if it affects someone’s body and brain so negatively that it leads to them taking their own life. Even though the infection does not kill, the effects of the disease surely take their toll. And while there is a growing awareness of Lyme disease, this is a case of the quiet parts being said aloud. More awareness about the effects of the infection must be made. Sadly, Lyme disease is treatable when it is diagnosed early. For a variety of reasons, the CDC believes that there are up to 10 times more cases of Lyme in the United States that what is actually documented.
Also read: Can cats get Lyme disease from a tick?
Lyme disease can happen any time of year.
If you have been outdoors and have knowingly or unknowingly encountered a deer tick, you are at risk for Lyme infection. The risk is not relegated only to the springtime and summer. While nymph ticks are busying about in search of their blood meals in the springtime, adult ticks are equally as active in the fall. What’s more, if the temperatures are steadily above 45 degrees in the winter, ticks can quest for blood. Therefore, we must keep check on ourselves, our kids, and our pets after being outdoors any warm day – in any season.
Tick protection and control tips:
- Wear long sleeves and pants outdoors
- Perform a full-body tick check after being outdoors
- Wear clothing treated with permethrin when hiking or camping
- Call on the experts for Grafton tick control to protect your property all year long
