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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 19 ,2 01 8 | 30 LOO K FO R THIS TOD AY familyhouseofworship@start.ca Services EVERY Sunday 16 Adamson Street, South Norval, Halton Hills Services starting at 10am To advertise your church services or any other church event here please contact Kelli Kosonic 905-234-1018 or email kkosonic@theifp.ca EVERY EVENT SHOULD BE A SPECIAL EVENT 363 Maple Av. West | Georgetown, ON northhaltongolf.com | 905-877-5236 WEDDINGS RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS BRIDAL & BABY SHOWERS BIRTHDAYS RETIREMENTS CELEBRATIONS OF LIFE Celebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with us region. "This is the result of climate change," said Bonnette, attrib- uting the migration of ticks to warmer average temperatures. "Now it's real." For Limehouse resident Keith Poullos and his son, Lyme disease has been a harsh reality of their lives for decades. Poullos was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2004 and his son, a year later. The small engine mechanic says he likely had the disease the majority of his life and passed it on to his son through birth. "I was sick a lot as a child," he said. "Years of ups and downs." Lyme disease can manifest itself in countless ways in the human body, from general fa- tigue, to gastrointestinal upset, heart issues and muscle pain. "Not everyone has the same symptoms," said Poullos. A bite from an infected tick can make a bull's-eye rash, or red ring around the bite any- where from three to 30 days af- ter the incident. Poullos says that the number of people contracting Lyme dis- ease in Halton Region is proba- bly much higher than the public health numbers. With the wide variety of symptoms, Poullos says it's difficult for doctors to diagnose without that telltale rash. "Doctors need to be on that awareness page and they're not at all," he said. He says that many patients suffering with the disease leave Canada for treatment, because OHIP does not cover many of the less popular approaches to battling the disease. "They haven't learned any- thing about Lyme disease in Canada," he said. "Those that are helping themselves are go- ing to Germany or the US." Which is exactly what Aal- bers did. She sold her home in Georgetown to finance her med- ical expenses with a private clinic in Plattsville, New York. "I'd be dead today if I hadn't gone out of country," she said. "I went stateside because I was malnourished, I was 98 pounds ... the doctor saved my life." She says that as her illness progressed, she could not get a positive test for Lyme disease in Canada. She says the reason was because there are numer- ous strains of infection that take hold when an infected tick bites a human. "One tick can transmit more than one infection at a time," she said. Eventually, Aalbers tested positive for a co-infection called Rocky Mountain spotted fever. She says the illness was rav- aging her body and nervous sys- tem, she couldn't work, and could barely walk. In Canada, doctors prescribe four weeks of antibiotics to treat Lyme disease, but in New York she was able to get a lon- ger cycle of treatment. "It's a very big problem in Canada," she said. "My fear is that in 50 years, we're going to have a country filled with chronically ill people with no answers." NEWS l Continued from page 29 Lyme disease presents many, varied symptoms HOW TO PREVENT TICK BITES When hiking, stay on the trails Wear sleeves and long pants, tucked into your socks Check yourself and others over for ticks when you get home HOW TO REMOVE A TICK If you find a tick feeding on you, be very careful not to break the head of the tick off when removing it. This can be done by taking a pair of tweezers and holding it as closely to the skin as possible, pulling directly upward. KNOW THE SIGNS OF LYME If you are bitten by a tick and see a red "bull's-eye" rash around the bite, seek medical assistance.