Guthrie fundraiser June 2

BONIFAY – A 24-year-old Bonifay woman is hoping an experimental but proven treatment will kill the Lyme disease that has racked her body for years.

Megan Guthrie was diagnosed with the illness several years ago, but none of the more traditional approaches have worked. She said she believes she has suffered from the disease since childhood, but it went undiagnosed for years.

Guthrie has been receiving antibiotic treatment from a Lyme disease specialist in Pennsylvania. But she will travel to San Diego June 15 to begin hyperbaric oxygen treatments. The approach infuses oxygen into every part of the body in hopes of killing the disease.

Each treatment session costs $150, and Guthrie could face up to 40 of them. Because insurance does not cover the cost, payment will have to come out of pocket.

To help Guthrie cover those medical expenses and associated costs of travel, friends are putting on a benefit for her on June 2, in a daylong event to be held at the corner of State 79 and State 90 in Holmes County. For more information, call 547-2425 or 850-596-0186.

Guthrie said her suffering has inspired her to some day enter medical school so she can learn to help others stricken with the disease. Currently, her pain and other symptoms do not allow her to work and she had to drop out of college because of the illness.