Toowoomba’s young mum of two, Zoe McDougall, is among a group of Australians needing compassionate corporations to keep her alive.
This Thursday, 21 April, Eagle Boys Wilsonton is donating 50 pizzas to a pizza day event at St Saviour’s Primary School in a bid to raise funds for Ms McDougall who, along with her eldest son, have been diagnosed with the debilitating medical condition called Borreliosis, a strain of Lyme disease. Her youngest son will be tested soon when he is old enough.
The pizzas will be sold at $2.00 a slice, with all proceeds going towards Ms McDougall’s fight in treating the Lyme Disease syndrome, which costs the young family anywhere between $400 and $1,000 each week for medication alone. She also has to undergo hypothermia and IV treatment every ten weeks, which can cost $5,000 to $6,000 on average.
Ms McDougall is among many Australians who suffer from the condition and one of 2,126 people the Lyme Disease Association of Australia says have been diagnosed with Lyme disease in Australia.
“I see lots of people suffering where I go to get treated that have it and a lot of people don’t realise they have it until it’s too late,” Ms McDougall said.
Government support is not available because it is not a recognised illness in Australia, which rules out a disability pension, leaving Zoe and other sufferers trying desperately to raise money to keep their treatment going. It has now become a case of survival.
“If it wasn’t for support from organisations such as Eagle Boys, treatment would not be possible,” Ms McDougall said.
“It has gotten to the stage where I have spent all my life savings, which was put aside for our first home and my dream wedding, and there is no other road to go down but to accept the generous support of close family, friends and strangers.
“The minute the treatment stops, the condition goes backwards. It’s $6,000 every time I have to have the treatments which means finding at least $400 to $700 a week.”
Ms McDougall’s fight of her life is not just about her.
"If I could get one goal out of all of this, apart from getting better, it would be just to get better medical services for people in Australia with Lyme Disease, because if you go to a doctor now, they won’t even talk to you about it,” Ms McDougall said.
“They go “it’s not recognised” and that’s the end of the subject, so you get sent off to basically deal with it yourself. You can’t apply for Medicare or Centrelink assistance or anything like that. Everything you pay for, you pay it yourself, or there is no treatment.”
Her fiancé, Alex Bailey, is the sole income earner for their family as Ms McDougall is no longer able to work due to symptoms of extreme fatigue, seizures, joint pain, confusion and memory difficulties.
The event is a small step in the right direction towards the family’s overall goal to raise $50,000 to allow Ms McDougall to travel to Germany for proper treatment, a country that has recognised the tick-borne disease unlike Australia.
Eagle Boys Wilsonton franchisee Monty Gilmore, whose own grandchildren attends St Saviour’s Primary School with Ms McDougall’s boys, is pleased to be able to contribute to a worthy cause in their local community.
“I was moved when I heard about Zoe’s story,” Mr Gilmore said.
“I can’t imagine the emotional and financial strain that her family is going through, so I am really pleased that we were able to help them out.
“It is so important for our business to give back to the communities that support us and assisting Zoe get the treatment she needs is just one small way that we can give back.”
You can find Zoe’s fundraiser page on https://www.gofundme.com/SupportZoe-Alex
This event is being sponsored by the Eagle Boys Happiness Fund, which is a long-term initiative that seeks to support local communities.
Recipients of the complimentary pizzas can include families, individuals, sporting teams, local charities and schools who are coordinating a fundraiser and require catering. For more information or to submit an application for a Happiness Fund donation, head to https://www.eagleboys.com.au/happinessfund
Tags: Health
