Local Carer is Ambassador for Lyme Disease UK

Carer, Angela Bullough and her husband Stephen, both living in Wigan, are Ambassadors for Lyme Disease UK .

They got in touch with us to share their story in the hope to raise awareness and help others.

Angela provides care for Stephen who is living with Lyme Disease.  Stephen was a previous World, European and British martial arts champion and was/is a Karate 9th Dan. After a rash that was presumed ringworm and with a myriad of symptoms, Stephen entered the NHS system with each symptom split between various consultants.

After being given a disputed Functional Neurological disorder (FND) diagnosis by neurology, Stephen became seriously ill. Sadly he lost his sight and the use of his legs in 2018, and despite having a private positive blood test from Germany, Stephen received no treatment from the NHS. With the help of LDUK and Professor Lambert, help was received and since 2018 his wife Angela has tirelessly pioneered to raise awareness, making it her mission to help Stephen and others with Lyme disease.

Most recently, Coronation Street featured a storyline to sound the alarm on how important it is to prevent tick bites and seek medical advice for early symptoms. As a consequence of this storyline and media coverage, the general public will be more aware of Lyme disease, potentially seeking early diagnosis and treatment and avoiding the risk of long-term symptoms of late stage disease.

Angela says, “Having a media platform such as Coronation Street cover Lyme disease and the problems patients encounter is such an enormous step in the right direction, raising much needed awareness.  Hopefully this will not only reach the general public but also front line medical professionals. Had my hubby’s diagnosis come earlier, his future may have looked very different. Sadly the missed opportunity has left him with a catastrophic disability, which should and could have so easily been avoided with early diagnosis and treatment.”

If you would like to find out more about Lyme Disease, please visit https://lymediseaseuk.com/lyme-disease/, there’s a wealth of information such as What is Lyme Disease?, Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment and much more.

Thank you to Angela and her Stephen for helping to shine a spotlight on this disease and raising awareness in our local community.