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Brittany is a sweet, strong, determined young lady with a passion for life and for serving God. She is a former gymnast & All American pole vaulter – a lady who has been used to living life to the max. She loves rock climbing, hiking and generally anything that's adventurous and outdoors.
Over the last 12 or more years Brittany has been getting more and more fatigued. By fighting against it she was able to push the fatigue into the background for most of that time but in 2006 she had to cut back on the activities she did outside of teaching. During her year of teaching in the UK (2008-2009) she continued to get more fatigued and developed other symptoms including having difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeats, intense chest pains, and headaches. Brittany spent many hours visiting doctors and having scans and blood tests, trying to find out what was the cause of her pain & unusual fatigue. Eventually, in August 2009 (shortly after she and Javed were married) she was diagnosed with a number of strains of Lyme Disease and 2 co-infections (Erlychia and Babesia). Lyme Disease is a tick-borne infection with a spiral-shaped bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. The spirochete can bore through tissue and so can get to any area of the body, even potentially altering DNA. This means that symptoms are many and varied but in Brittany's case they have been severe enough to make an active young lady virtually housebound and in constant pain. |
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Shortly after the diagnosis, Brittany met with a Lyme Disease specialist in Boulder, Colorado and started on a series of high-strength antibiotics as well as a number of herbal and nutritional supplements. She returned to the UK for 5 months but did not show any improvement and needed to go back to the States for further testing with another Lyme Specialist in Colorado. She received another year of antibiotics and other treatments (hyperbaric oxygen, rife, homeopathics) and was given the “all clear” diagnosis in November 2010.
Unfortunately, Brittany wasn’t feeling particularly “all clear”. At the time, the belief was that her body was so run-down by the fight against the Lyme that it needed time to recover and that fatigue and pain should be expected for a while. There were some signs of improvement in her health but it only lasted for a week or two at most and after Brittany returned to the UK in February 2011, her health began to decline again.
Unfortunately, Brittany wasn’t feeling particularly “all clear”. At the time, the belief was that her body was so run-down by the fight against the Lyme that it needed time to recover and that fatigue and pain should be expected for a while. There were some signs of improvement in her health but it only lasted for a week or two at most and after Brittany returned to the UK in February 2011, her health began to decline again.
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Through their own research, and that of Brittany’s mom, Javed and Brittany had discovered that Lyme Disease often reoccurs and requires two or three sets of treatment. This is due to the Borrelia bacteria’s ability to change form and hide from the immune system, often deep in the cells. Having done so many months of antibiotics it was hoped that repeated treatment would not be necessary for Brittany. However, with the decline in her health, it became clear that some sort of further treatment would be required. Brittany’s GP (local doctor) was not really able to help her and the treatment options through the NHS never went beyond the basic Lyme treatment (which didn’t seem to help) and simply resting. Over the next year, Brittany received homeopathic treatment with additional herbal supplements and a dietary change. Initially it seemed to help in getting over some of the side effects of the antibiotics but it doesn’t seem to have dealt with the root problem. |
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The Future
The next step in Brittany’s treatment will be at a clinic in Reno, Nevada where the mother of a friend of ours was successfully treated for Lyme Disease. The clinic seems to have a good success rate when it comes to tackling chronic Lyme, especially in people who have not responded to other treatment protocols. We are confident it is the right place for Brittany to be going and excited to take this next step soon. We hope and pray that it will be the final step in the battle to overcome this horrible disease.
During these testing times over the last few years, God has blessed us with access to specialist doctors, medication programmes that have provided antibiotics at lower-than-cost prices and the support of family and many friends. We know God is close to us, that He loves us and that He is answering our prayers. We are excited that you are joining with us to pray for Brittany's full healing and restoration – we know it is coming!
The next step in Brittany’s treatment will be at a clinic in Reno, Nevada where the mother of a friend of ours was successfully treated for Lyme Disease. The clinic seems to have a good success rate when it comes to tackling chronic Lyme, especially in people who have not responded to other treatment protocols. We are confident it is the right place for Brittany to be going and excited to take this next step soon. We hope and pray that it will be the final step in the battle to overcome this horrible disease.
During these testing times over the last few years, God has blessed us with access to specialist doctors, medication programmes that have provided antibiotics at lower-than-cost prices and the support of family and many friends. We know God is close to us, that He loves us and that He is answering our prayers. We are excited that you are joining with us to pray for Brittany's full healing and restoration – we know it is coming!
