The mission of the Fonds Am\u00e9lie Champagne is to support Lyme disease patients and their families, as well as individuals suffering from psychological distress and their families.<\/p>\n
Am\u00e9lie’s father and creator of the Fund, Mr. Alain Champagne, explains its purpose in his own words:<\/p>\n
A fund to push forward science and the access to care<\/strong><\/p>\n We are creating this fund in order to honour the memory of our beaming Am\u00e9lie, who took her own life in September of 2022. Am\u00e9lie had been suffering through the obstacle course that ultimately led her to a belatedly confirmed diagnosis, even as Lyme disease symptoms had been accumulating and increasing in severity for years. Her growing anxiety eventually led a major role in her decision to end her suffering, after years of medical aimlessness.<\/em><\/p>\n Am\u00e9lie is not alone. Lyme disease is under-diagnosed. The experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that the true number of Lyme disease cases is six- to twelve times as high as the number of confirmed or probable cases (CDC, 2021).<\/em><\/p>\n Quebec is significantly lagging in terms of research capacity, detection norms and protocols, treatment and follow-up for Lyme disease. Too many patients wander in our healthcare system for years before they can get a diagnosis, often by reaching outside of Quebec to get the support they need. This fund is being created for them. Thanks to your donations, we want to support patients and the medical community, as well as research in order to push forward the science and access to care. The Fund will support initiatives that will allow:<\/em><\/p>\n