On December 8, Tanner McMillan and his mate, Ed Blandford, will tackle the length of 90 Mile Beach on the Victorian coastline to raise funds and awareness for the Lyme Disease Association of Australia (LDAA).
The boys will set off from Mcloughlins Beach on December 8 and will arrive at the Lakes Entrance Surf Life Saving Club on Saturday, December 14 where there will be a finishing celebration from 5.30pm.
Tanner contracted Lyme Disease at the age of 11 after he was bitten by a tick and has achieved a remarkable recovery.
To make matters worse, doctors at the time doubted his symptoms.
Tanner’s pain level could get so high his body would drop into an unconscious state hundreds of times a day.
Doctors told his devastated parents and family that despite it being heartbreaking for them, they needed to “toughen up”.
Because he hadn’t been diagnosed, Tanner couldn’t tell his friends what was wrong with him and why he would fall unconscious if they touched his body.
He couldn’t explain why he could no longer manage school full-time, why he couldn’t join in games during recess and couldn’t join his old sporting teams.
Lyme Disease is a generally difficult illness to be diagnosed with in Australia and this is because scientists haven’t found the Borrelia bacteria, which is responsible for causing Lyme Disease, in Australian ticks.
In Tanner’s case, it took nearly 12 months for him to be diagnosed – he eventually found a medical team that was able to validate every symptom he had.
By the age of 16, Tanner had completed a life battle that his 11-year-old self would not have expected to endure.
This journey included monthly trips to Sydney for week-long treatments for a number of years, with each trip involving endless hours with catheters hanging out of his arm, IV drips and endless tablets to take per day.
Now, Tanner wants to ensure no other child in Australia has to experience what he did; the lack of recognition, testing and treatment of Lyme Disease in this country.
Tanner and his friend, Ed, plan to walk from Mcloughlins Beach, past Woodside Surf Life Saving Club, through to Seaspray Surf Life Saving Club, and the Grange.
Finally, the pair will walk through to Lakes Entrance, which will conclude their 90 mile walk.
Tanner is doing this in order to raise awareness and funds towards highlighting the need for change, and to shine some Lyme-light on the fact the decision-makers must do better.
All proceeds from the 90 Mile Beach trek will go to the LDAA, to donate head to the LDAA website for more information.
