Help Fix My Brain From Lyme Disease with a Sewing Machine

My name is Tracey West. At the end of last year I went from being fit, well and working hard, to having a scarred spinal cord after contracting a rare neurological condition called Lyme disease.

It came from a tick bite earlier that year and its poison went into my cerebral spinal fluid and brain. My speech, my thinking and processing abilities, my memory, my mobility and movement have all been compromised. My neuropathic pain and tremors are being treated with a vast array of medicine that leaves me having to claw my way up through dark, heavy fog, every day.

Adding fuel to my fire, hospital tests also revealed I had a gallbladder full of stones which need surgery (the waiting list is a year long). I have absolutely horrendous attacks from that and in short, I need to be near a bathroom.

Deeply sadly, I have lost my beloved job, running the international reforestation charity I co-founded with my darling husband, Simon. He is now my full time carer.

There are so many things I cannot do now and they are too many to list. However, I've discovered I can sew, albeit very slowly, as my brain now struggles to process simple instructions.

My old sewing machine died yesterday and I would really love a new one. It would bring me deep joy to use it and it would also help my brain create new neural pathways.

Good machines are over £1,000 and unfortunately, I have no savings. It would be amazing if you could help me buy a nice machine, and perhaps some cottons and material too.

Thank you very, very much, Tracey xxx