Taylor George went 13 years before being diagnosed with Lyme
By April Hudson, Spruce Grove Examiner/Stony Plain Reporter
Fibromyalgia. Chronic fatigue. Osteoporosis. Myo facial pain syndrome.
Those are just a few of the diagnoses Taylor George has been handed over the past 13 years by doctors who don’t know what’s wrong with her.
She lost some of her sight, hearing and ability to walk. She lost her short-term memory and was in constant pain. She went to physiotherapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists; she had MRIs, ultrasounds, specialists and heavy prescription painkillers.
Thirteen years ago, when she was nine years old, Taylor was bitten by a tick at Wabamun Lake. One month ago, she finally received an accurate diagnosis of what is causing her health problems: chronic Lyme disease.
Over the past 13 years, Taylor’s parents Penny and Ron Trask have searched in vain for answers. They tried everything they could think of — but, much like their doctors, Lyme disease never crossed their mind, because everybody knows there is no Lyme in Alberta.
Taylor doesn’t remember her wedding day. She also has no recollection of an entire year she spent at Concordia University. She lost her adolescent years, her mid-20s, and now at 27 years of age, respite is still a long way off. But she is one of a growing number of Albertans and Canadians who know the truth: there is Lyme in Alberta, and the health care system is woefully unequipped to handle it.