Golf star Jimmy Walker helps fellow Lyme sufferer in Headford

DEBILITATING ILLNESS Lyme Disease sufferer Nicola Lavin.

One of the world’s top golfers has come to the aid of a Ballinrobe Golf Club member who is suffering from Lyme Disease, because he himself is suffering from the same disease.
Major winner Jimmy Walker has sent an autographed official PGA flag to help support a golf Am Am on August 31 being held as a fundraiser for Headford woman Nicola Lavin (nee Glynn) so she can receive potentially life-changing stem cell therapy for Lyme Disease.
Nicola contracted Lyme Disease 16 years ago in the US, and her body has been ravaged by it ever since. Health complications have included serious heart failure.
Walker – a six-time victor on the PGA Tour, and winner of his first major, the PGA Championship, in 2016 – revealed last April that he too suffers from Lyme Disease.
“It feels like you’ve got the flu,” he said. “No strength. Just got nothing. And it comes and goes in waves. You never know when it’s going to pop up.” As a consequence, the Texan’s form has shown a dramatic slump this season.
Lyme disease is a debilitating illness caused by bacteria as a result of a tick bite. Symptoms include fatigue, fever, heart issues, chronic joint pain, and in some cases, paralysis, arthritis and neurological disorders.

30 tablets a day
Walker’s wife, Erin, heard about the fundraiser for Nicola on social media and volunteered to get her husband to sign some official PGA memorabilia to support the event.
“She was really helpful,” says Nicola’s husband, Ronan. “She empathised with all Nicola has been through and recognised many of the symptoms that she and Jimmy share. In particular, she related to the amount of medication involved – Jimmy is on 30 tablets a day.”
Erin has been her husband’s most outspoken supporter through his illness, hoping that Jimmy’s battle will help spread awareness about Lyme Disease, which affects an estimated 300,000 people each year in the US.
Ronan points out that the cause behind the Ballinrobe Am Am will resonate in particular with golfers as they are among those most at risk of contracting tick-borne Lyme Disease, which has become increasingly prevalent in Ireland.

Embedded
Lyme Disease can be cured through antibiotics if diagnosed early, but it becomes a major problem if not treated. Nicola’s condition deteriorated progressively over the years, as a series of consultants were baffled by her condition. Last year, a German laboratory finally confirmed the diagnosis of Lyme Disease.
However, by that stage, the condition had become so embedded in her system that traditional treatments have proved ineffective. Her only hope now to regain her health and strength, and to lead a normal life, rests with stem cell therapy, which has a high success ratio.
However, the cost of the pioneering treatment and the required stay in Germany is beyond Nicola’s means, as she has been unable to work for some considerable time now.
The Am Am fundraiser at Ballinrobe Golf Club will feature a host of attractive prizes, including a night’s stay for two in a Courtyard Room in Donald Trump’s Doonbeg resort; a night for two with dinner in the exclusive Ballyseede Castle, Tralee; an Enniscrone Golf Club fourball worth over €400; the Walker-signed PGA flag; and a highly-coveted autographed Ireland rugby jersey.

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The golf Am Am for Nicola Lavin will take place at Ballinrobe Golf Club on Thursday, August 31 (tee times from 8am). Entries to Ronan Lavin at lavinronan84@gmail.com or 086 0693327. For more information on Nicola’s plight, visit the ‘Stem Cell Treatment for Nicola Lavin’ Facebook page, or her fundraising page, www.gofundme.com/fightlymesnicolalavin.