I gave my daughter life-long chronic illness while pregnant with her – now she’s old enough to know the truth
A MUM battling a chronic illness has shared how she passed the disease on to her daughter while pregnant.
Kirstie Haysman, 36, had been suffering debilitating muscle and joint pain for almost a decade when she sought medical advice.
She was diagnosed with Lyme disease in February 2023, a bacterial infection normally spread through ticks, but which doctors believe she may have been born with.
Her daughter, Harriet, 12, was also diagnosed with the disease this year, and Kirstie claims three doctors think she passed it via her uterus during pregnancy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the spread of Lyme disease from mum to unborn baby is “possible but rare”.
After Miranda Hart spoke out about her battle with the disease, Kirstie is hopeful it will force doctors to “see the amount of people suffering and understand that it’s important that better research must be done”.
The mum from Watford, Hertfordshire said: “I first noticed symptoms in my daughter about a year and a half ago.
“Doctors didn’t want to test because there was no bite or rash.
“I pushed for a test and it came back possible for Lyme disease and Epstein Barr virus.
“After her diagnosis I felt very guilty that I had passed the disease onto her.
“I was in two minds to tell her as I didn’t want to burden her with the worry of the illness.
“She was very tearful as she had seen me for months having carers pick me up and help me for months.
“We caught it early enough to deal with it and she hasn’t got years of misdiagnosis under her belt.
“It’s wonderful that Miranda has come forward – it’s very sad that she’s had to suffer and keep it hidden”.
The former chiropodist was initially tested for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis in 2015 – and both came back negative.
She claims doctors assumed she was suffering from an autoimmune disease and prescribed her steroids.
In January 2023 an acquaintance suggested she might be suffering with Lyme disease and after going to Mexico for blood tests Kirstie was diagnosed.
She has taken since two trips to Mexico and one to Idaho, US to seek stem cell treatment – a therapy which eases the symptoms of the disease but is not currently offered in the UK.
She said: “It has really, really helped.”
Kirstie was able to raise £20,000 for the first Mexico treatment in March 2023 through a GoFundMe page and financial help through family and friends.
The second treatment was provided to her for free by the doctors in Mexico.
She said: “They felt so bad that I wasn’t getting any help at home.”
Despite the treatment helping Kirstie’s symptoms, Lyme disease has no cure.
She said: “I am still suffering, some days I cannot get out of bed and my right leg is completely crippled, but I get by as best as I can, everyday is different.”
Kirstie went on to claim that her daughter Harriet’s symptoms were dismissed for over a year before her diagnosis in July 2023.
Kirstie said: “She struggles terribly with migraines, low mood, stomach aches and nausea.
“The doctors refused to test until she was 16 but I pushed and pushed for it.
“There isn’t any treatment they can offer to her, it has been really hard to seek treatment for her.”
Speaking on their differing symptoms, Kirstie said her and her daughter “support each other as best we can”.
During treatment in Idaho, Kirstie had her daughter undergo some less invasive treatment similar to magnet and light treatment.
She said: “This treatment helped within a few weeks, she got her Hertz Lymer reaction which occurs when the bacteria is dying off.”
Former-beauty pageant queen Kirstie has now gone from bedbound to working again this year.
She plans to work alongside the charity team at the Miss Great Britain beauty pageant to “raise awareness for Lyme disease and help others who are suffering”.
She will be raising funds at the pageant for Alex’s Wish, a charity that supports those suffering with joint and muscle pain with the main goal of eradicating Duchenne Muscular, a deadly illness which causes muscle weakness that worsens over time.
She said: “They [the team] have been so supportive, offering me wheelchairs and support where I need it throughout the pageant.
“My other main aim is to normalize mobility aids within the pageant industry and normalizing disabilities”.
“It will be nice for Harriet to watch me do this and be proud of me instead of seeing me fall over in hospitals and struggling to walk.”
More information on Alex’s Wish charity can be found here.
How to avoid tick bites and remove a tick safely
THERE are a few things you can do to lessen your likelihood of tick bites.
Firstly, try to cover as much of your skin as possible while walking outdoors and tuck your trousers into your socks.
You should also be using insect repellent containing DEET on your clothes and skin, and wearing light coloured clothing so you can spot a tick easily.
Also stick to paths where possible when you’re out walking.
But if you are bitten, you must remove a tick safely.
- Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool. You can buy these from some pharmacies, vets and pet shops.
- Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
- Slowly pull upwards, taking care not to squeeze or crush the tick. Dispose of it when you have removed it.
- Clean the bite with antiseptic or soap and water.
The chance of getting ill is low. You do not need to do anything else unless you notice a rash or become unwell.
If either of these happen, make sure to see a GP so you can get treatment as soon a possible.
Source: NHS