Amelie Champagne, was a 22-year-old Canadian woman who was suffering from undiagnosed Lyme disease for years. She finally gave up on her long, frustrating battle with the disease on September 11, when she took her life. Her tragic history reveals not only her suffering, but the difficulties Lyme disease patients have with getting an early diagnosis.
Amelie Champagne “free(d) herself from the unbearable pain,” said her father. “It is with the heaviest of hearts (and still in shock) that I share the tragic news that our sweetheart Amelie (22) took her own life this past Sunday,” said Alain Champagne, Groupe Jean Coutu CEO, on his LinkedIn page.
Canadian doctors were unable to diagnosis Amelie’s condition for many years. The Lyme disease diagnosis was finally made when she visited the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in the United States in June. Misdiagnosis often occurs because the symptoms of Lyme disease can be similar to symptoms of other illnesses. Unless the evidence of a tick bite is present, it can be misdiagnosed.
In spite of the diagnosis and an aggressive treatment plan, the disease had already spread throughout Amelie’s body. It was too late.
“Over time and despite the recent treatments, the disease had evolved way beyond the numerous physical symptoms and was now severely impacting her brain,” said her father.
Antibiotics are used to combat the disease, but a delay in treatment can cause Lyme disease to spread to the joints, heart, or respiratory and nervous system.
According to the CDC, Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the US. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick. Immediate symptoms include fatigue, fever, headache, and a rash.
Amelie had attempted a previous suicide attempt and was hospitalized at Sherbrooke’s Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Quebec. She took her life immediately after being discharged from the hospital.
In recent interviews, Amelie’s father, Champagne criticized Quebec’s healthcare system for failing his daughter, saying not only was she misdiagnosed, but she also did not obtain appropriate psychiatric care.
Quebec’s chief coroner ordered a public inquiry into Amelie’s death. On Tuesday, a spokesman for the chief coroner, Pascale Descary, said in a statement that the public hearings “will allow any person of interest to express their views on the circumstances of this death in order to analyze all contributing factors, with a view to proposing solutions for better protection of human life.”
