<div>I’ve struggled to write these words. This journey has been long, painful, and at times, unbearably isolating. But today, I’m choosing to share our story — mine and my son Ben’s — because this fight against Lyme disease has brought us to a place where we
</div>
<div>need help.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>My Story: Decades of Silent Struggle</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Years ago, I was bitten by a tick while attending a concert at Pine Knob Music Theatre. Shortly after, I developed the classic bullseye rash, followed by weeks of debilitating fatigue, pain, light and sound sensitivity, and a complete loss of mobility. For seven
</div>
<div>months, I was bedridden, losing more than half my body weight and muscle mass. It was a living hell.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Eventually, I regained some strength, but flare-ups returned whenever I was stressed, injured, or exhausted. In 1993, I was in a severe car accident that left me with multiple injuries and several reconstructive surgeries. I never fully recovered.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Life went on — I completed university, got married, and had my beautiful son. Battled thyroid cancer. After a miscarriage and emergency surgery, my health declined further. I developed a kidney disease and suffered years of unexplained extreme pain and unrelenting fatigue. I was diagnosed with a list of possible conditions — fibromyalgia, MS, chronic fatigue — but no one could give me clear answers.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>It wasn’t until I met a client who had Lyme disease that everything clicked. My incredibly supportive family doctor, Dr. John O’Mahony, referred me to the amazing Dr. David Sanders, who confirmed the Lyme diagnosis. For years, I received daily high-dose IV antibiotics under his care until his passing in 2024. His death was devastating for many of us, but it also pushed me to keep fighting and seek answers.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Ben’s Story: A Bright Light Dimmed Too Soon</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Our son Ben was born in 2003 — a brilliant, curious, funny boy whose mind never stopped learning. In grade 3, he came home with an engorged tick on the back of his head. His doctor, at the time, assured us it was nothing. A couple weeks later, he broke out in a rash, swollen lymph nodes, very high fever, and a diagnosis of Scarlet Fever.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>From then on, our vibrant boy was never the same. He was constantly sick, exhausted, and missed much of his childhood due to illness. Over the years, we were repeatedly told it was “normal” for kids to get sick. We now know it wasn’t.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>At 21, Ben should be chasing dreams, not battling pain. He was in his final year of university, preparing to write his LSATs for law school, when his health collapsed. After years of inconclusive Canadian tests, we sent his bloodwork to Europe. It came back <strong>positive for multiple Lyme bacteria, Bartonella, and signs of being immune compromised. </strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Ben had to withdraw from school and come home to begin treatment. His dream of law school is on hold while we focus on saving his health.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Our Next Step: SOT Therapy</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Our best hope is a treatment called <strong>Supportive Oligonucleotide Therapy (SOT)</strong>. SOT uses synthetic RNA to target the genetic material of Lyme bacteria and co-infections. It’s promising — but experimental in Canada, meaning <strong>none of it is covered by any insurance.</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The costs are overwhelming:
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>$3,000 per SOT treatment</strong>, with at least 1–2 needed for each infection. This will mean a minimum of 6 treatments for each of us.
</li>
<li><strong>$1,500 per blood test</strong> (plus taxes and lab fees). Labs are done after each round of treatment.
</li>
<li><strong>$700+ per hour</strong> for each medical consultation.
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Travel and overnight stays in Toronto for every treatment.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Additional therapies, medication, and supplements to support the SOT, and healing
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>On top of this, I’ve had to stop/reduce my work drastically. We’ve been relying on one income, accumulating debt to cover various treatments that are never covered by our healthcare system and private insurance.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Why We’re Asking for Help</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This isn’t easy to share. We’ve spent years quietly fighting this disease. But now, the cost of these life-saving treatments is beyond what we can manage alone.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We’re asking for your support to help cover:
</div>
<ul>
<li>SOT treatments for Ben (and me)
</li>
<li>Out-of-country testing
</li>
<li>Doctor consultations and medications
</li>
<li>Travel and accommodation for each treatment cycle
</li>
<li>Additional supportive therapies and meds
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Every donation — no matter the size — brings us one step closer to getting Ben back to the vibrant, passionate young man he is. It gives me strength to keep fighting, too.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>With Gratitude</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This has been one of the hardest seasons of our lives, but we’ve also witnessed incredible kindness from our friends, neighbours, and community. Your support, whether through donations, sharing our story, or simply sending encouragement, means the
</div>
<div>world to us.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing with us in this fight.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>With love and hope,
</div>
<div><strong>Lisa and Ben</strong>
</div>

Deborah Osmond

John Sottosanti

Barbara mccarthy

Emma Sottosanti

Olha Oksenchuk

Clive and Nancy Barry

Fern Angelone

Anonymous

Karen Cleland

Trish Mercer

Laura Brawn

Rached Cheddadi

Allan and Dorothy McKeown

Anatolii Elkin

Patti Smolen

Mike Bradley

Elizabeth Belanger

Kim Welshman

Al Kirkpatrick

Help Us Fight Lyme Disease — A Mother and Son’s Journey

Help Us Fight Lyme Disease — A Mother and Son’s Journey

Still $7,911 to go. Help us build momentum.