Llandilo couple Teressa and Scott Weeks have gone through more heartbreak and pain than any family should have to experience.
Not only did they lose their only son almost eight years ago in a car accident, but Mr Weeks was also in a crash less than a year later, causing permanent damage to the right side of his body and a severe brain injury.
Now, to top it off, the couple are dealing with the cost of getting their two daughters, 18-year-old Brooke and 17-year-old Chantelle, the treatment they need for Lyme Disease.
As it isn’t recognised in Australia as an illness, this week the family headed overseas to Malaysia for treatment.
“It’s all been really stressful,” Mrs Weeks told the Weekender.
“The cost of treatment as well as the cost to get to Malaysia has all been really hard, especially since I had to leave my job.”
A part-time carer, Mrs Weeks said she hopes this treatment will heal her daughters.
“Some days the girls can be really sick and very weak,” she said.
“The treatment in Malaysia involves the girls going into a hyperthermia machine that reaches 42 degrees to help kill off the bug – it’s going to be a painful process.”
The three of them are staying in Malaysia for 46 nights, with treatment taking a week to start with.
For the following two weeks the girls will be violently ill, then wait another week before doing another round of treatment.
“It’s been really hard on the family but we have been blown away and totally gobsmacked with the support from the community,” Mrs Weeks said.
“Donations have been made by families on our Go Fund Me page that we don’t even know of – it’s had me in tears.”
To donate to the family, visit www.gofundme.com/lyme-disease-treatment-in-malaysia.
