Just one tick is all it can take

BENEN Smyth had spent years suffering from Lyme Disease and was on the road to recovery before he even set sight on a living tick, similar to the one that had caused his health problems.
He spent a number of years in a lot of pain and seven weeks in hospital before a final diagnosis. The native of St Enda’s Avenue in Tuam was all prepped to begin chemotherapy when his doctor came to his bedside and told him he had some good news: “You’ve got Lyme Disease”.
When Benen contracted the disease some time in 2001, he didn’t know anyone else who had it, but once he was diagnosed he and his wife Mary quickly became aware of how common it is.
“There are at least five people living in my area who have the disease,” says Benen, who left Tuam in the 1970s. He now lives in Kinvara but returns home regularly to visit his mother Mary.
Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection that is transmitted by the bite of ticks. Symptoms vary and can be mild to severe but early treatment with antibiotics is vital to prevent serious complications.

Read the feature in this week's Living section