‘I could lose the ability to care for my daughter’ – Bedford mum's plea as crippling illness affects her hands

Kirstie Haysman says she can’t bear the thought of a future without the use of her hands, which are ‘closing inwards’ and causing her extreme pain.

The mum-of-one was forced to give up her job as a healthcare worker due to her condition, which was later diagnosed as Lyme disease and Lyme arthritis, after she paid privately for a Lyme disease test. But by then, some 12 years of damage had been done due in part, she alleges, to the steroids she was prescribed.

She says the only surgery available to her may ‘open them up’ but she would likely lose function and the ability to care for herself and her daughter Harriet.

Kirstie, a former healthcare worker, said: “I cannot bear the thought of that being my future in my 30s. I am already struggling with everyday things that most people never have to think twice about: doing up buttons, holding a toothbrush, brushing my hair, opening things, driving, walking with a stick. And I am terrified of what happens if my hands continue to close. I would lose the ability to drive my daughter to school and to care for her independently. I could lose the ability to do the simplest things for myself.”

Kirstie’s plight has not stopped her and Harriet looking on the bright side, using Kirstie’s experience to write a children’s book ‘to bring hope to poorly children’, as well as launching a brand of specially designed Lyme disease walking sticks.

She has also started a petition to lobby for more accurate testing for Lyme disease.

And now, Kirstie has finally found some hope of her own in the form of a surgeon in Spain.

She explained: “I have seen some of the incredible reconstructive work he has carried out, including extraordinarily complex hand surgeries and, for the first time in a very long time, I have hope my hands may not have to be the end of my independence.”

The surgery involves reconstructing and repositioning the joints and ligaments and using prosthetic knuckles to restore movement and function.

But there is bad news too. At £34,000, the surgery is drastically unaffordable to Kirstie who racked up some £60,000 debt after years of being bedbound.

Now the Bedford mum is asking for help to raise the life-changing funds.

She added: “The longer my hands remain in these positions and continue to deteriorate, the more difficult reconstruction becomes. I am desperately trying to raise the money while there’s still an opportunity to preserve and restore as much function as possible.

“I have never found it easy to ask people for help. For most of my life, I have been the person helping other people. I spent years working in healthcare and supporting people through pain and difficult circumstances. Asking for help for myself feels incredibly uncomfortable. But I’m at a point where I have to put my pride aside and ask.

“I’m asking for help to save the use of my hands. Every donation, no matter how small, will take me one step closer to surgery and towards having a future where I can use my hands again.”

To help Kirstie reach her target visit gofundme.com/f/help-me-save-the-use-of-my-hands.

A spokesperson for NHS Central East Integrated Care Board said: “We are sorry to hear that Ms Haysman is unhappy with the care she has received. Each GP practice and NHS trust has a complaints procedure, and we would encourage her to raise this with them at the earliest opportunity.”