Billionaire's whole family is struck with Lyme disease

[Kate_UK]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-admits-completely-devastating-diagnosis.html

 

[Bob]

Interesting short article...

Phones 4U billionaire John Caudwell's family struck down with potentially fatal Lyme disease.
22 Sep 2015
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/phones-4u-billionaire-john-caudwells-6491782

 

[Bob]

Phones 4U billionaire John Caudwell's family struck down with potentially fatal Lyme disease.
22 Sep 2015
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/phones-4u-billionaire-john-caudwells-6491782

Extracts...

John Caudwell announced earlier this month that Rufus, his 20-year-old son, has been diagnosed with the illness.

And now days later he has revealed that he too has the disease, alongside three more members of his family.

The 62-year-old, from Shropshire, told the Daily Mail: "It’s completely devastating. I have no idea how it’s happened to my family."

Mr Caudwell added: "When I heard my son had Lyme disease, it was after nine years of his suffering — with no symptoms that were obviously Lyme disease. It mimics other illnesses."

His son was diagnosed in February this year.

Before that, doctors said Rufus suffered from panic attacks, agoraphobia and other mental health issues.

However the billionaire now believes these were wrongly diagnosed symptoms of Lyme disease.

John says that since his son was diagnosed, he has been bed-ridden.

He added that he "hasn't got a life" and that his son is "fighting every minute of the day".

Mr Caudwell's first wife Kathryn, alongside their daughters Rebekah, 35, and Rhiannon, 27, have also tested positive for the disease.

He added: "It suggests it could be congenital or transmitted person to person.

"I just saw these as a couple of private illnesses that we’d got to deal with. But then when more of the family got diagnosed, I started looking into it. It could be affecting millions in Britain, it could be an epidemic."

 

[RL_sparky]

I see the Telegraph is also running an article. Hope Mr. Caudwell puts up some of his money to help gain a better understanding of Lyme disease and find better treatments.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/cel...whole-family-diagnosed-with-Lyme-disease.html

 

[drob31]

It'll be interesting to see if throwing money at it is enough.

 

[*GG*]

Thought the UK gov't says you don't have Lyme there? Did they get it while in Country or when traveling?

GG

 

[mermaid]

Also in the Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/p...-is-diagnosed-with-lyme-disease-10512584.html

 

[Bob]

Also in the Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/p...-is-diagnosed-with-lyme-disease-10512584.html

Extracts:

Caudwell says he is now looking to recruit a small team of people to “transform" Lyme disease in the UK. "Lyme is devastating families and individuals with the most sinister consequences and yet goes almost unrecognised," he said.

He is asking anyone interested in helping him research the disease to contact him with details of how they believe they can help.

The singer Avril Lavigne has spoken extensively about her own diagnosis and the difficulty she faced in being accurately diagnosed by doctors who believed she was depressed or suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

“I was seeing every specialist and literally the top doctors, and … they would pull up their computer and be like, ‘Chronic fatigue syndrome," she said in June. "Or, ‘Why don’t you try to get out of bed, Avril, and just go play the piano?’

“This is what they do to a lot of people who have Lyme disease. They don’t have an answer for them so they tell them, ‘You’re crazy’.”

 

[Bob]

John Caudwell has a Facebook page, in which he says the responses to his family's story have been overwhelming.
https://www.facebook.com/johndcaudwell

 

[Bob]

Thank you all for your stories!! There are so many tragic ‪#‎lyme‬ problems. I have been massively touched by the dreadful suffering that most of you have experienced and excited by your offers of support. You Lyme people are clearly passionate to help others and I find that emotionally compelling in terms of making me want to act! Coupled to this my son is extremely ill and I and two other members of my family are developing Lyme ill health!

I need to recruit a small team of people to help me in my aim to transform lime disease in this country

IT MUST BE PROPERLY EXPOSED, RECOGNISED AND MADE A MEDICAL PRIORITY!!

https://www.facebook.com/johndcaudwell/posts/1065128190173498

 

[Bob]

From John Caudwell's Twitter account:

Sold P4U In 2006 to focus on Philanthropy. Committed to donate half my wealth on death. Passionate about@caudwellkids & other causes that are changing world

https://twitter.com/johndcaudwell

 

[Battery Muncher]

This is a terrible thing to happen... but, and I realise this is very cold of me, I hope it spurs greater research into the illness (through greater funding etc).

There have been quite a few celebrities who have come down with Lyme. I can only think of Avril Lavigne off the top of my head, but I remember reading about several others.

 

[Antares in NYC]

There have been quite a few celebrities who have come down with Lyme. I can only think of Avril Lavigne off the top of my head, but I remember reading about several others.

Avril Lavigne, Matthew Modine, Alec Baldwin, Yolanda Foster, Rebecca Wells, Amy Tan, Richard Gere, Ashley Olsen, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Neneh Cherry, Debbie Gibson, Kathleen Hannah, Daryl Hall, Parker Posey, Karen Allen, Jane Alexander, Christy Turlington, Jennifer Capriati, Alice Walker.... And many more.

Basically a legion of people with a disease that "doesn't exist". Just the “normal aches and pains” of daily NORMAL living.... You know

 

[Battery Muncher]

Basically a legion of people with a disease that "doesn't exist". Just the “normal aches and pains” of daily NORMAL living.... You know

The “normal aches and pains” of daily normal living... enough to cripple professional athletes, actors and singers in the prime of their life, whilst leaving the general population unscathed!

What could possibly account for this.

 

[ScottTriGuy]

Avril Lavigne, Matthew Modine, Alec Baldwin, Yolanda Foster, Rebecca Wells, Amy Tan, Richard Gere, Ashley Olsen, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Neneh Cherry, Debbie Gibson, Kathleen Hannah, Daryl Hall, Parker Posey, Karen Allen, Jane Alexander, Christy Turlington, Jennifer Capriati, Alice Walker.... And many more.

Basically a legion of people with a disease that "doesn't exist". Just the “normal aches and pains” of daily NORMAL living.... You know

Where did you find this list of famous people with Lyme? Is there one for M.E.?

Thanks.

 

[Antares in NYC]

Where did you find this list of famous people with Lyme? Is there one for M.E.?

Thanks.

Google knows everything.

Didn't find one list, just searched for celebrities stricken with Lyme.

As far as celebrities with ME/CFS, I know of Cher, Keith Jarret, Laura Hillenbrand, Randy Newman, Blake Edwards, John Rutter, The Flea (Red Hot Chilly Peppers), Stevie Nicks, and Howard Bloom

 

[maryb]

Does anyone know where J Cauldwell and family went for testing and treatment? Never mentions it anywhere.

 

[Bob]

Does anyone know where J Cauldwell and family went for testing and treatment? Never mentions it anywhere.

I haven't come across that info either. I also haven't established whether they have been treated, or if the son has chronic Lyme or is responding to treatment.

 

[justy]

I think he said somewhere that they had been in the states - so perhaps got testing there? I have written to him and told him my story as have many others. He has said very strongly that he will get a team of people together to lobby the govt, the NHS, whoever they need to approach to get chronic Lyme recognised in the UK and appropriately treated through the NHS. I really hope he succeeds. So far in my family me and my daughter have Lyme - haven't tested my three other kids or husband yet, but strongly suspect they may come up positive.

 

[RosieBee]

John Caudwell is on fire! Here he is on ITV this morning and he did a radio broadcast today as well. He gives a passionate account of his son's long illness with Lyme disease and describes how he intends to use his money and influence to change diagnosis and treatment in the UK. He quotes how Lyme disease is frequently found other chronic illnesses including Alzhiemer's and ME. Someone with chutzpah and the ability to make a difference!