Scottish woman whose life was ‘destroyed’ by tick bites raises money for Mexico treatment

A businesswoman struck down with Lyme disease will travel to Mexico for vital treatment not available in the UK - after raising more than £5,000 for the trip.

It took a year for business manager Yen Lau to be properly diagnosed by medics, despite being bedridden and suffering from more than 40 different symptoms. PICTURE: SWNS

Yen Lau’s life was destroyed after being bitten by ticks twice within the space of two years.

The 32-year-old, a former business manager, launched a desperate fundraising bid for treatment at a clinic in Mexico, where she will receive specialist care.

A kind-hearted anonymous supporter has now donated £2,000 to the fundraising drive, meaning Yen will now be able to receive one week of treatment at the clinic.

Patients visit the clinic in Tijuana, Mexico, four times in the first year and then have follow up visits at a cost of around £3,000 each time.

Yen is booked into the clinic on 14 October and says she “can’t believe” she will finally have this treatment after two years of hell.

Yen, from Baillieston in Glasgow, said: “I know who the donor is, but he wants to remain anonymous.

“I am so overwhelmed.

“For a girl who now has no friends thanks to chronic illness I just cannot believe this.

“I am so thankful to everybody.

“I am not much of a crier but I did shed a few tears at all of this.”

The former make-up artist was given eight different diagnoses and visited more than 50 GPs in a year before her symptoms were identified.

Yen said: “For the treatment itself, this is enough money.

“My visit to Mexico in October is now definitely happening.

“I just got off the phone to a girl who thinks her chronic illness is incurable and so she wanted to put some of the money she had saved for herself into my account.

“I absolutely would not want to take money from another person with an illness but that just shows you how amazingly kind people are.

“It is incredible.”

Yen’s battle with the infection began in July 2017 after she was bitten on a camping trip at Loch Lomond.

She had no immediate symptoms, common with the illness, but six weeks later she fell seriously ill.

But she was bitten for a second time while at a retreat in Crete two months ago - a trip that was booked to help her deal with impact Lyme disease had on her life.

The second tick bite left her taking heart medications, Parkinson’s medication, steroids, thyroid medication, the painkiller Tramadol and medicine for her immune system.

She was brought to the brink of suicide and stopped working two years ago because of the ‘unimaginable suffering’.

Yen said she must raise £25,000 for the full course of treatment abroad.

She said: “I have had some negative feedback but I had so many messages of support from people, loads of people getting in touch.

“I used to work as a make up artist and I have seen people leave messages saying how I helped them.

“You don’t often get positive feedback in life so to find out how many people I have touched along the way is incredible.”

For all the latest Scottish news, sport and features click here, or head to our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.