MP Oliver Letwin backs Lyme disease charity (From Dorset Echo)

MP Oliver Letwin backs Lyme disease charity

3:10pm Thursday 4th June 2009

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WEST Dorset MP Oliver Letwin has thrown his support behind a charity calling for wider recognition of Lyme disease.

Mr Letwin met with members from Lyme Disease Action, which is aiming to get better diagnosis and treatment for sufferers of the disease, after he was inspired by the story of Forston resident Gill Reese.

Mrs Reese, 60, was struck with Lyme disease in 1997 and is one of the founder members of Lyme Disease Action, She wants to make doctors more aware of the condition and wants to see the Government introduce national guidelines for treatment.

Mrs Reese said: “I became ill and the doctors thought I had meningitis, once they realised I hadn’t got meningitis they sent me home with no medical care.

“I quite literally had to find out what was wrong with myself and only found out through a newspaper article that gave me a clue.

“If it wasn’t for that I would probably be six feet under and Lyme Disease Action wouldn’t exist.” Mrs Reese was determined to help others who were going through what she experienced and, having helped to set Lyme Disease Action in 2003, decided to lobby Mr Letwin to back their campaign.

She said: “I went to see Mr Letwin as a constituent to tell him my story and he quickly realised this was just the tip of the iceberg and instead of just helping me he realised the entire Lyme Disease Action charity needed help.”

Mr Letwin met Lyme Disease Action representatives from across the South West and has agreed to fight its cause in Westminster.

Chairman of Lyme Disease Action Stephanie Woodcock said: “We are very grateful that Mr Letwin in West Dorset has been very supportive of our concerns.

“Our concerns are well founded as the Health Protection Agency has recently published new figures for Lyme disease and the cases for the South West are particularly high.

“Both Gill and myself have had the illness and have had to fight for treatment.

“We are aware that there are many other people fighting for the treatment and getting nowhere.”

Mr Letwin said: “The time is coming when we will get a definitive view about this problem and we need to ensure people who have this disease have effective diagnosis and treatment available.

“The current guidelines don’t seem to be allowing that.”

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