About Me:
My name is Sophie Ward.
Iโm 28 years old from Lancashire in the U.K.
I suffer from chronic Lyme Disease.
I was diagnosed at the age of 23 but I caught Lyme way back when I was 14. It took me a whole 9 years to be diagnosed and listened to. Those 9 years were the darkest and scariest years of my life. As no doctor or family member believed me.
But letโs go back a littleโฆ
I caught Lyme at 14 whilst being out in China for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Back then I swam for Great Britain and my goal was to compete at the London Olympics in 2012. But due to Lyme, my health slowly at first but by the time I was 18 had rapidly begun to decrease.ย
I suffered from infection and infection and an endless list of symptoms that I had no answers for.
Doctors just told me I was depressed from retiring from swimming. As when I was 16 I was forced into retirement as my body just wasnโt well enough anymore to keep up the intense training.
Yes, of course, I was depressed but I was also suffering from a disease that needed attention.ย
Because my doctors were saying it was in my mind and just depression, my family listened to the professionals and believed them over me.
It caused me to hide away from the world and my loved ones for 5 years as my health deteriorated and so I didnโt have to explain myself or be judged by loved ones.
I was barely coping and I wanted to die.
I lived alone so it was easy to hide away as well.
When I was finally diagnosed in 2017 my family couldnโt believe it. And it hit my Mum hard. I think she also had the guilt of not believing me. But overnight she became my carer.
Now I have to take SO many herbal meds just to keep my body stable and go for regular infusions when I catch an infection to help fight them.
What is Lyme Disease though!?
Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness.ย
If treated in the first 2 weeks of infection, with antibiotics you can fight the infection and make a full recovery but…
If left, it begins to highjack your body and immune system.
It drills into your cells and organs making them poorly and it suppresses the immune system so then it no longer fights the Lyme off.
Itโs a horrible and terrible disease.
And it comes with debilitating symptoms.
Who I Am Today:
Itโs made me a stronger person and warrior but it has come with struggles and it makes life unbearable at times with the symptoms that come with it.
I have turned my negative into a positive. Pumping my heart and soul into awareness and education through my social media platforms.
Thank you for listening to my story.
I hope you donโt suffer from this disease 
but if you do, Iโd love to hear your story too.
My Instagram is @sophiewardy come and give me a follow and letโs chat.
And you can listen to my podcast: Chronic But Iconic on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
