Brave local woman shines a light on cruel disease – Kilkenny Live Highlights 2025
Ann Maher has been battling ill-health since 1995
A brave woman living in Kilkenny for the past 50 years is fighting for more to be done in all areas of the political to raise greater awareness and treatments for Lyme disease.
Ann Maher has battled the horrific toll the cruel disease can have, battling severe side-effects over the past 29 years.
Despite the immeasurable personal challenges she has faced since her health first began to decline in 1995, the Kilkenny resident has proven to be a continuing vocal champion for those inflicted with the condition.
The little-known disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks and is usually easier to treat if it’s diagnosed early. Many people with Lyme disease can be treated by antibiotics by their GP but some may experience long-lasting, life debilitating effects. (See link for article)
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**Comment**
Yet another example of a chronically ill patient with Lyme/MSIDS.
Lyme/MSIDS, because Lyme is rarely alone. Most patients are coinfected with numerous pathogens complicating their disease and requiring many different drugs.
It’s nerve racking that despite the thousands upon thousands of similar patient testimonials, chronic Lyme is hotly contested with public health ‘authorities’ and most doctors proclaiming that 10 days of doxycycline will ‘cure’ most people.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
This dear woman suffered with memory loss, stroke-like symptoms, extreme fatigue, and numerous hospital visits.
She went undiagnosed EIGHT long years, after being thrown from doctor to doctor like a football, before doing finally her own research which revealed the real story behind the madness.
I’ve heard this so many times I can simply tell you the script.
Research will lead the patient to discover that Lyme is hotly contested and that doctors are simply too afraid to diagnose and treat it, so they hide behind antiquated and unscientific CDC guidelines that denies chronic Lyme and prohibits extended treatment because they are beholden to insurance companies that don’t want to pay for it.
Enter the Lyme literate doctor, who for whatever reason took the time to actually study the issue for himself/herself, learned about ILADS, and became part of a group that educates doctors on the complexity of it and that the entire paradigm is simply wrong.
Then, at great expense, the patient had to travel to another country to get help.
After going through her own personal hell, she now advocates for others……
And this, is our story as well as thousands of others.
If you go to the top link there is a picture of the patient with the very typical lop-sided smile (Bell’s Palsy) indicative of and common manifestation of neurological Lyme.
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 
