She took a blood sample and sent it to a specialized lab in California, and at their second appointment she had her answer, Mazzon-Duncan did in fact have Lyme disease. She also had a course of treatment, 100 days of two antibiotics, Doxycycline and Chloramphenicol, to properly treat the symptoms.

“It was like the sky opened,” Mazzon-Duncan said. “It was the most relief I had felt in a long time — reassurance I was going to be a mom again.”

Since the diagnosis Mazzon-Duncan has been ordered to get plenty of bed rest, as well as visits with a physiotherapist, chiropractor and massage therapist. She also undergoes a regular detoxification treatment to remove toxins from her body.

However, neither these nor the antibiotic treatments are a cure, not when her Lyme disease had gone undetected for so long.

There is, however, hope.

There is a promising treatment at a facility in California using integrative stem cell therapy, which essentially wakes up the body’s cells and gives the immune system a second chance.

“When I found that out, it was better than winning the lottery,” Mazzon-Duncan said.

The therapy has an 80 per cent success rate but comes at a cost — $30,000.

To raise the funds Mazzon-Duncan and her mother are turning to the community, which has responded in a big way.

Mike Cherwaty, a longtime friend of Duncan and a martial arts instructor in Beamsville, is organizing a motorcycle ride on Aug. 11. Registration begins at 10 a.m. at Nexus Martial Arts Studio at 5205 King St. in Beamsville.

Kick stands are up at 11 a.m., with the riders first heading to H.H. Knoll Park in Port Colborne for a community picnic, followed by stops in Fort Erie, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Port Dalhousie before ending at a farm located in Beamsville at 4738 Lincoln Ave., where there will be a pig roast with live bands and door prizes.

For information, contact Cherwaty at 905-329-6213.

Mazzon-Duncan said she’s also committed to raising awareness of Lyme disease, which is becoming more common in Canada. She said one action that helped in her case was careful documentation of her symptoms — she has two inches of paperwork chronicling what she went through.

“That’s what got me the treatment I got here,” she said.

“I just want my life back and help others living through this illness.”