KiwiParent from Parents Center NZ Test Volume | Page 62

The balance is tricky and getting it
right is an unforgiving and constant
struggle every day.
Ruby's disease has come at a huge
personal cost to her family. They
have lost an income as Ruby's
mother Rachel has had to give
up her job as a nurse to care for
Ruby full-time. Ruby's treatment is
expensive, including monthly bills
of $600 for antibiotics alone, plus a
two month long trip to Australia to
receive initial specialist and hospital
care in 2011.
Now that Ruby is more stable and
her condition is improving from the
treatment she received in Australia,
a trust has been set up to fund a
case study, to raise awareness about
this disease in New Zealand and also
to look for a cure.
Ruby is participating in the case
study, as will other patients as
they come to light. It has been
recommended, as part of the case
study, that Ruby sees a leading Lyme
Specialist in the USA, where tickborne disease is more prevalent.

What is Lyme
disease?
Lyme (Borrelia) bacteria can affect
any organ in the body. It's a multisystemic infection, therefore it can
affect people differently and produce
an array of many symptoms. It has
been labelled "The Great Imitator"
due to its ability to mimic other
diseases such as ALS, MS, Lupus and
other autoimmune diseases.

disease is found on every continent,
except Antarctica) look out for these
early symptoms. With the right
diagnosis early, Lyme can be treated
with a simple course of antibiotics:
? Flu-like illness (headache, fever,
fatigue, dry cough, sore throat,
muscle pains).
? Rash at the site of the tick bite
referred to as Erythema Migrans
or Bull's Eye Rash (fewer than
50% experience this). The Lyme
rash starts a few days or even
several weeks after the bite and
then expands over a period of
days to several inches across,
perhaps with a central clearing.
Untreated, it can last for weeks
before fading, or it may fade and
recur.
? The rash may have an irregular
shape, blisters or a scabby
appearance
? Some rashes have a bruise-like
appearance
? Lyme rashes can mimic spider
bites, ringworm, or cellulitis
? Multiple, so-called "satellite"
rashes may appear on different
parts of the body.
If a rash develops, take a photo of it
and see a doctor as soon as possible.
Lyme can be cost-effectively
treated at this stage. Don’t delay
because within days to weeks Lyme
(Borrelia) spreads through the body.
The bacteria spreads through the
bloodstream to organs and other
areas within the body.
For a full list of symptoms and for
further information go to the Lyme
Disease Association of Australia www.lymedisease.org.au/

If you have travelled overseas
(yes, anywhere in the world. Lyme

Can you help?
The Trust seeks donations
to fund research into Lyme
disease and to help with
the ongoing cost of Ruby’s
treatment. For further
information, and to see
Ruby’s video story, go to
www.rubyredtrust.org.nz

Eleanor Cater
Eleanor Cater lives in Wellington with husband Dan and three
daughters, Kate (13), Rosie (11), and Amy (7), who she thinks are
the lucky ones continuing to grow up in a world where they are free
from Lyme disease and other afflictions. She is a freelance writer
and works for Parents Centres New Zealand as their national
Brand Manager.

take
cover

When you have a growing family, it’s natural to
wonder what the future holds. Because no one
knows what tomorrow will bring, it pays to have
a plan in place. Clinton Whelan, an insurance
advisor from Take Cover, demystifies insurance
and explains why it’s important to protect your
family.
Clinton designed Babystepz to take pressure off new
mums and dads for the first year of parenthood. “It’s
hard enough to figure out how to dress and burp
a baby without worrying about how they’d cope if
something happened to you, so any new parent can
get $10,000 of life cover for free – no questions. And
once your baby turns one, you’ll have a handle on
what cover you need for the future.”
As a rule Kiwis are under-insured and the worst culprits
are the under 35s. Even those with cover don’t often
review it as their family grows. Clinton speaks to many
people who have enough cover to pay their mortgage,
but not enough for schooling, debt-repayments and
day-to-day bills if one of the earners is too ill to work.
“No one wants to put their partner under that kind of
pressure when they’re already worried about you,” he
says.
So if you don’t have a plan to cover your family
expenses should you lose an income source, Clinton
recommends getting one sorted as soon as possible.
“When you’re talking about protecting your family
there are three key things you need to know; what
you need to protect (health, income, life), how much
cover you need, and how much you can afford to pay
for that cover.”
He suggests working out what all your expenses are,
what your income adds up to, and what sort of future
you’d like for your family if something was to happen
to you.
“Shopping around is good. Different providers offer
different cover so it can be hard to compare apples
with apples. Make sure you compare pricing and
benefits before you choose the right one for your
family. And don’t leave it too late!”

BabyStepz is part of Take Cover
Insurance. As a Parents Centres partner
they are offering $10,000 BabyStepz
Life cover for a year for FREE. Find more
from www.takecover.co.nz