Tuesday 8 June 2010

LYME DISEASE TO A GRAND SLAM FINAL

Much has been in the news recently about Sam Stosur being in the tennis final but many newspapers report about her comeback from suffering with a debilitating case of Lyme Disease.



Lyme Disease Action on their website posted the following.

http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/releases/lda_41.pdf


From Lyme disease to a Grand Slam final...
Saturday’s French Open ladies tennis final will crown an incredible comeback from Lyme disease for Australian Sam Stosur. A late-blooming success, Stosur was struck down by the debilitating illness – which is caused by the bite of an infected tick and can affect the joints,
the heart and the nervous system - for ten months in 2007.



She’s recovered though, to such an extent that after beating Serena Williams and Justine Henin en route, she’s now the favourite to secure her first Grand Slam title against Italy’s Francesca Schiavone.


Stosur’s newfound fame should bring Lyme disease further into the limelight – with regular mention of the problem appearing in recent national newspapers and BBC news articles on the Australian.
Says Stella Huyshe-Shires, the Chair of Lyme Disease Action: “This is a remarkable achievement for someone who was once so weakened by Lyme disease she could barely complete the most menial task.”



Talking to the Press Association, Sam Stosur admits she never could have imagined she would reach a Grand Slam final when she was battling the Lyme disease, which could have ended her career. “When I was out, I never let myself doubt the fact that I would return. Obviously, I had no
idea what was going to happen."



Stosur has come a long way since the illness gripped her three years ago but confesses “I'd never wish to go through any of that ever again. I think I'm pretty fortunate that I was able to come back and be healthy so quickly. It was a long time, but relatively quickly compared to a lot of other stories
I have heard.”



Lyme Disease Action (www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk) is a UK-registered charity striving for greater awareness of Lyme disease and associated tick-borne diseases.
Ends June 2010
Press: Issued by Lyme Disease Action’s press office (www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk).
For more information, or to speak to Stella Huyshe-Shires, the Chair of Lyme Disease Action, please contact
Sue Ockwell or Camilla Colley via email - press@lymediseaseaction.org.uk - or ring 020 8891 4440.
A Lyme disease poster, showing how to remove a tick correctly, and leaflets on Lyme disease, are available
for publication if required or for readers to take to their own local GP or veterinary practice

2 comments:

  1. I just saw a video about her today....did not take her long to get back ....she must have gotten diagnosed quickly..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Renee Yes she clearly responded well to treatment but as you say she may have been treated quite early on. Many of us have been ill many years before we get diagnosed and on treatment and even then it is difficult. I hope she goes a bit more public on her treatment. i guess she has access to treatments not usually available to most people. Yes I just saw a video interview of her.

    ReplyDelete