AFTER 20 years of successive operations and illness upon illness, Joanne Baskett has finally discovered she had been suffering from Lyme disease all along.

The discovery this year was an immense relief for the mother-of-three who lost her job and any semblance of a normal life over the last two decades and was even labelled a hypochondriac by doctors.

Now on her journey to recovery, a fundraiser will be held on Sunday at Moshan Island Grill, in Old Town, in a bid to help the 42-year-old from Park South secure enough money to receive treatment.

“My undiagnosed, misdiagnosed and untreated Lyme disease has taken a hold and made me deteriorate having no immune system whatsoever,” she said.

“I have low grade fevers all the time, constant pain and neurological problems, cognitive issues, co-ordination problems, spasms, tremors, drenching sweats and many other nasty debilitating symptoms, making me more disabled each year that passes.

“I have no quality of life. The last four years have been spent mainly bedridden 90 per cent of the time, and on 32 different types of medication.

“I'm slowly wasting away and if this carries on without treatment or help eventually I will die, leaving my children alone.”

Joanne was in her early 20s when she travelled to Florida with her family.

She began feeling extremely unwell and soon noticed a round rash on her body with a dot in the centre.

She put her flu-like symptoms down to a virus and gradually recovered.

But it marked the start of years of serious health problems.

This year she came across American Lyme disease specialist Dr Richard Horowitz’s book and contacted him online. He told her she was a textbook Lyme case.

The event on Sunday, Novem-ber 30 will help raise money towards immunotherapy treat- ment and a juice programme at the Core, which would help boost her immune system and fight the illness.

“The main successful route to treat Lyme in conjunction with immunotherapy is long term IV antibiotics and antivirals – this isn't available in the UK, only parts of Europe and the USA,” she said.

“This treatment costs approximately £10,000 a round and the average chronic Lyme patient needs five to eight rounds of this therapy.

“I am looking at diet and juicing and raw food as a supportive treatment but this again is unaffordable to do this properly on state benefits.

“Proper decent food is essential to healing.”

“I want the chance to live. I deserve a life, and so do my children.”

The event runs from 7pm until 10pm. There will be a raffle and possibly an auction. Food and drink which includes rice and peas and jerk chicken with a rum punhc is £10. A live snake event will be held at9pm.

To attend, find out more about Joanne or make a donation go to www.facebook.com/lyme actuallyjoanne, or www.gofundme.com/lymeactuallyjoanne or email lymeactually@hotmail.com.