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Jill's Healing Fund

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This is a story of a silent disease and how it has destroyed my life.

After losing most of my young adult life to the misery of dieting, I have tirelessy dedicated my career and spare time to helping and inspiring others with their diet and nutrition.  


I felt like the luckiest girl on the planet... my fitness business was my passion and hobby all rolled into one and I would have gladly done it for free! On the outside everything was fantastic as my business was growing rapidly and I was making a name for myself but behind the scenes but there was a disturbing crisis emerging.


I tried my best to keep it hidden beneath the smiles but I was struggling...... the cracks were beginning to show and eventually my business crumbled. I was left broken and literally holding on for dear life.

Just 8 years ago I was at the peak of my fitness career teaching up to 30 classes a week along side building my business, when out of nowhere I fell ill.


In that summer of 2010 I felt like I had been hit by a truck.  I was also Mum to 11 year old Gracie and 10 year old Alex so I decided that it was time to slow down. But the damage was already done and pretty soon after, my marriage of 13 years dissolved around me. Several more episodes of unexplained fatigue, joint pain and black outs continued.


During each episode I would visit doctors and tests would reveal nothing. I was told I was suffering with depression, stress, chronic fatigue, it was in my head, ME, fibromyalgia.... each episode would bring along new and stronger symptoms that would last longer. Eventually 2 years ago I was no longer able to teach even a single class. I would spend days if not weeks bedridden. I was so exhausted I couldn't even drive my kids to school.


I was now a single mum with a failed business. I did not know where to turn. I felt utterly desperate and suicidal. That was until someone contacted me to suggest it sounded like Lyme disease. At first I dismissed it as I knew little about the condition but spent the next year investigating. During this time I saw three private specialists who all clinically diagnosed Lyme disease. So after a negative NHS test (which is very common with late stage Lyme) I eventually sent my blood privately to a German lab and in February 2017 I was finally diagnosed positive for Lyme disease . I have since spent the last of my savings on what treatments I could afford which sadly only brought temporary relief.


I am now left unable to work and face an uncertain future without the means to fund my treatment or earn an income. 

I desperately want my life back and to be a proper mum again.  I am physically and mentally exhausted and would love to start treatment as soon as possible.  Lyme is a highly complex disease made worse by the length of time I have had it. It will require a variety of treatments that I will need to maintain at home as I repair the extensive damage caused by the Lyme and co-infections. 

There is so little research into the most effective treatments for late stage, chronic Lyme disease and its associated conditions. Different treatment options suit different people and there is no standard protocol.

Therefore I have approached many Lyme literate practitioners to look beyond simply a borrelia infection and examine for  co-infections, opportunistic infections, hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, food intolerances, heavy metal or mould toxicity and many other pieces of the often complex puzzle.

There are no specialists to be found in the UK and any treatments are not covered by insurance.  Some Lyme patients that are lucky enough to raise funds have experienced full remission from seeking their treatment abroad.

Much love and gratitude for all your support,

Jill x

Radio interview with BBC Three Counties sharing what it's like to live with Lyme Disease:


Treatment costs to cover:
Specialist in-house tests and treatment in Europe (on-going and guidance support at home)
IV therapy and infusions
Ozone therapy, lymph and detox support (including heavy metal removal)
Infared sauna treatments
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy 
On-going tests, maintenance treatments and consultant appointments.

What is Lyme disease? 
Lyme disease is caused by a corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, of which there are around 20 known strains.

Lyme disease is the fastest spreading, and the most common, vector borne disease in Europe, according to the World Health Organisation.

Patients don’t always remember a bite and the NHS two-tier testing has been widely criticised as flawed with a false-negative rate of 66.8% in early Lyme disease. At present, there is no gold-standard test for Lyme disease which can rule out the illness and there is no test for cure.

Chronic or late stage Lyme is not a medically accepted term in the UK however independent Lyme treating practitioners use it to describe long-term symptoms and complications and also what happens if the patient is not diagnosed early on after being infected or if initial treatment has failed.

Once thought a rare disease that is hard to catch and easy to treat, it is now said to be much more common than is realised and very hard to diagnose and treat. 

For more supprt and information please visit the Lyme Disease UK website or The Caudwell Lyme Charity

FREE CHALLENGE and thank you!

I have collated all my work from the last 10 years into a free 8 week challenge to banish the beige, belly and bloat.

There is no obligation but donations are welcome.

For more information regarding the program and to sign up, click here: Banish the beige, belly and bloat! 




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Donations 

  • Shona Reppe
    • £5 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Jill Gardner
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