'I went for a dog walk - it left me with a debilitating disease that's cost me £150,000'

Daily Mirror

18-07-2025

Steven Williams, 39, was living a normal active lifestyle, exercising regularly, working as a civil servant and playing in a rock band
A man left incapacitated by a tick bite causing Lyme disease has revealed he's spent close to £150,000 on private healthcare just to feel "four out of 10". Steven Williams, 39, from Bridgend, South Wales, was once leading an active life, hitting the gym, working as a civil servant and jamming with his rock band – until one fateful week in March 2021 when everything took a turn for the worse.
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He recounted how he suddenly started suffering from intense heart palpitations, fatigue and crippling anxiety and depression, alongside food intolerances and gastrointestinal problems – all new symptoms for him. Despite being known as the "steady one in the group", Steven found himself struggling with basic activities like taking the bins out, watching TV or even bathing due to overwhelming anxiety and depression.
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After seven months of fruitless GP visits and ineffective prescriptions, it was finally identified that he had Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted by infected ticks. He claims that the NHS's standard two-week antibiotic treatment would not have touched the sides at his stage of the disease, leading him to spend around £150,000 on international private treatments since his diagnosis in October 2021, even remortgaging his home to cover the costs.
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Despite shelling out a fortune, Steven has only seen marginal improvements in his health and finds himself leading a monotonous, restricted existence. He subsists on a limited diet and minimises activities just to get by.
"I just want to regain some of my old quality of life," he said. "It's small things like being able to meet friends for a meal, listen to music and do exercise.
"Since March 2021, although my symptoms have waxed and waned, I've never felt better than a four out of 10. The NHS is an amazing institution, and my GP has been so supportive, but a two-week course of Doxycycline is all they've been able to offer. For people who fall between the cracks, the system is too rigid."
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Ticks, which are potential carriers of Lyme disease, are widespread across the UK, with grassy and wooded areas in southern England and the Scottish Highlands being particularly high-risk zones, according to the NHS. Steven admits he's unsure when he was bitten and didn't develop the "bullseye rash", often considered a classic sign of a tick bite.
However, contrary to popular belief, this rash appears in only a minority of Lyme disease cases, as stated by Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Centre. Living in South Wales, Steven frequently hiked in the mountains and woodlands with his dog, Jarvis, and suspects that's where he might have been bitten.
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But he acknowledges it could have happened at any point – days, weeks, or even years before he first noticed symptoms.
In March 2021, he revealed his world was turned upside down when he was suddenly hit with severe episodes of depression and anxiety, alongside heart palpitations. He explained that he also developed an acute intolerance to numerous foods and suffered from substantial digestive problems, whilst becoming easily overwhelmed by stimulation - rendering him unable to watch television, socialise or even enjoy music.
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"It's very hard to explain but, as someone who used to play in a rock band, that's a hard pill to swallow," he said. Steven consulted a GP in March 2021 but revealed it wasn't until October that he received a Lyme disease diagnosis.
"I knew something was not right and that my symptoms weren't characteristic of me. It was terrifying," he said. "I'd heard of the term Lyme disease but when I found out I had it, I thought, 'Great, now I can treat it and be well'. Lo and behold, it wasn't that simple."
Steven explained it was too late for the NHS-prescribed Doxycycline to prove effective, leaving him to seek alternative treatments. He says he has experimented with an enormous variety of approaches - pharmaceutical, herbal and holistic - and has journeyed across the globe in pursuit of a cure.
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In February 2022, he recounted his visit to a clinic in Bavaria, Germany, where he underwent intravenous antibiotics and whole-body hyperthermia, a technique designed to elevate body temperature and boost the immune system. This approach successfully eradicated the Borrelia bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, he claims, but left the Babesia parasite, which invades red blood cells and causes flu-like symptoms, unaffected.
Upon returning to Wales after his treatment in March 2022, Steven said that he unfortunately caught Covid-19. With his immune system already weakened, he described the impact as severe, resulting in long Covid that caused fatigue, blood thickening, and impeded his recovery.
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Subsequently, Steven pursued various alternative treatments – he travelled to Mexico for stem cell therapy and made multiple trips to New York to consult with Lyme disease expert Dr Richard Horowitz. He experimented with prolonged fasting and herbal remedies and, in February 2025, he mentioned flying to India to undergo Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy, which involves using immunoglobulins, antibody-containing proteins sourced from human blood.
Although this had a beneficial effect on his food sensitivities, he admits he is still far from fully healthy, battling sleep issues and adhering to a rigid, simplistic routine. "I have to live such a robotic life, just to feel semi-normal," he laments.
Steven estimates that he has shelled out close to £150,000 in his quest for treatments. He shared that his stint in Germany cost around £35,000 and the IVIg treatment he underwent in India set him back £20,000.
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He was compelled to remortgage his home to cover these expenses but remains resolute in his pursuit of an effective cure. To aid in financing his next treatment in Germany, which he hopes will alleviate his long Covid symptoms by thinning his blood, his mate Alecs Donovan has launched a GoFundMe campaign.
"Alecs has been absolutely amazing," he expressed. "She's such a wonderful person, always trying to help others.
"Health really is wealth, so I'm so grateful to everyone who has donated. I just hope I can get my normal life back."
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A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said: "While it is not appropriate for us to comment on the care received by individuals, we encourage Mr Williams to get in touch with our concerns team directly so that we can explore his concerns further."
To support or learn more, you can visit Steven's GoFundMe page. The NHS advises that although not all ticks are carriers of Lyme disease bacteria, it's crucial to be tick-aware and remove them safely at the earliest opportunity.
For additional details, head over to nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease.