Kate's Struggle: Losing with Lyme

Alana Weber is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Kate Prestie.

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Kate is a Saskatchewan born outdoor enthusiast, passionate about exploring and studying nature. She has spent the last several years working as a field Biologist amidst her graduate studies, and in her free time loves kayaking, camping, hiking, hunting and nature photography. Unfortunately, her passion for the outdoors took a turn as she started to experience lingering and unanswerable health problems in the summer of 2013. She had been bitten by several ticks over her lifetime and had thought little of it until years later, when after almost 8 years of struggling with chronic illness, Kate was diagnosed with Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in the winter of 2021.

Lyme disease, particularly Chronic Lyme Disease, in Canada, especially in provinces such as Saskatchewan, is a highly controversial topic. Kate tested negative with the Canadian Lyme test so she was not given any treatment or coverage through the Canadian healthcare system. Diagnosis was only possible after her twin sister, Nichole, who also struggles with chronic debilitating illnesses, was diagnosed 6 months earlier with out of country testing and an out-of-province Lyme Literate Naturopathic Doctor. Having had similar exposure levels to ticks, Kate decided she should pay for the out-of-pocket testing and treatment too, and sure enough, she was positive for Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses. It is out of the scope of this piece to get into the details regarding testing used in different countries and the ongoing debates behind Chronic Lyme Disease, but please, educate yourself if you are interested by visiting the webpages and articles found below.

Due to not having a proper diagnosis and ongoing, untreated infections for many years, Kate’s treatment options and ability to fully recover to live a normal life are limited and complicated. The combination of infections and long-term damage to the body and immune system leads to a difficult path of trial and error with treatments, doctors, and facilities, some which are out of country, and nearly all, out of province. The road to recovery is not simple with Chronic Lyme Disease, and though thankful for a diagnosis, Kate’s fight to regain her health is in no where near over.

Kate was unable to finish her studies (Masters of Toxicology) or remain working due to her illness and had to take a full-time medical leave over a year ago, with many part-time accommodations being made previously. Today, Kate struggles with many symptoms that leave her in a low-cognitive and physically debilitated state, having to spend much of her time sleeping and resting, managing pain, and sorting and taking medications. Sadly, Kate is no longer able to head into the outdoors for adventures as her body simply is no longer strong enough. She and her family hope that one day she will again be strong, happy, and healthy, but they know that there is a long journey ahead.

Kate was forced to seek out alternative and naturopathic medicine to help fight her diseases. She has been working with Lyme Literate naturopathic doctors both in and out of the province to combat her ailments. Treatments including prescription and alternative medicines, as well as new unconventional treatments, such as 10-Pass Ozone Therapy, none of which are covered through Canada's healthcare system. Additionally, Kate depended on, and accumulated, large student loans during her studies. Unable to return to work or finish her studies, we are asking for your support with the financial burden her illness has put on her life and to allow Kate to continue her path to better health.

Kate and Nichole both hope to bring awareness to tickborne illness, across all of Canada (as rare as it may be in places), in hopes that others won't have to suffer long term from this disease. As Kate has said, “I want things to change, I don't want anyone else to have to go through what we have gone through. Once I'm better, I'll do whatever I can to bring awareness to this issue to help those who are battling not only from the many debilitating symptoms of this disease, but the lack of support from the Canadian medical system, and the financial burden that encompasses those who have suffered undiagnosed for years. In the field, Nichole and I were bitten by dozens of ticks every summer. If people, including medical doctors, knew that these infections could be present here, we may have been able to get an early diagnosis and proper care to avoid these debilitating long-term effects". Early diagnosis of the borrelia infection, or other tickborne infections, is key to a full recovery. Kate and Nichole are likely to be battling ongoing health issues from these tick-borne illnesses for many years to come and have already lost much of their twenties to their illness. We truly hope that you can find it in your heart to donate and/or share their story. Kate and Nichole are not the only ones fighting this battle, and we hope that by sharing their story, we can help raise awareness for everyone.

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Truly, we thank you!

With love,

Kate, Nichole, and their loved ones

Below are some resources we invite you to look at describing the debilitating disease and the controversy behind it in the Canadian Healthcare system:

• Out of the Wild part 1 (video)

• Out of the Wild part 2 (video)

• Under our Skin (Movie)

• Bitten (Video)

• lymedisease .org

• ilads .org

• Government of Saskatchewan Webpage

• USASK article

•CanLyme Website

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Here is a breakdown of what your donations will be contributing to --

(This is a breakdown of some of the current costs, but there likely will be modifications made as treatments can change)