A Watford mum battling Lyme disease discovered her daughter had inherited the infection after doctors told her she passed it on while pregnant.

Kirstie Haysman was diagnosed with the chronic illness in February 2023 - after suffering debilitating muscle and joint pain for almost a decade.

She is unsure how she contracted the bacterial infection, but doctors believe she was either born with it or it spread through an infected tick.

The comedian and TV star Miranda Hart, best known for BBC sitcom Miranda, has spoken about being diagnosed with the debilitating condition after years of wondering what was wrong with her.

Blood tests which Kirstie says had no outcome. (Image: Kirstie Haysman / SWNS)

Kirstie's daughter, Harriet, 12, was also diagnosed with the disease this year, and Kirstie claims three doctors think she passed it in utero (before birth).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the spread of Lyme disease from mum to unborn baby is "possible but rare".

Kirstie has travelled to Mexico twice - after fundraising £20k for stem cell treatment something not offered in the UK to Lyme disease patients - which has helped her ease her symptoms.

Kirstie Haysman. (Image: Kirstie Haysman / SWNS)

After Miranda Hart spoke out about her battle with the disease Kirstie is hopeful it will force doctors to "see the amount of people suffering and understand that it's important that better research must be done".

Kirstie, 36, said: "I first noticed symptoms in my daughter about a year and a half ago. Doctors didn't want to test because there was no bite or rash.

Kirstie at the time when she was competing in beauty pageants. (Image: Kirstie Haysman / SWNS) "I pushed for a test and it came back possible for Lyme disease and Epstein Barr virus. After her diagnosis I felt very guilty that I had passed the disease onto her.

"I was in two minds to tell her as I didn't want to burden her with the worry of the illness.

"She was very tearful as she had seen me for months having carers pick me up and help me for months.

Kirstie receiving treatment in Mexico, February 2023. (Image: Kirstie Haysman / SWNS) "We caught it early enough to deal with it and she hasn't got years of misdiagnosis under her belt.

"It's wonderful that Miranda has come forward - it's very sad that she's had to suffer and keep it hidden".

The former chiropodist was initially tested for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis in 2015 - and both came back negative.

She claims doctors assumed she was suffering from an autoimmune disease and prescribed her steroids.

In January 2023 an acquaintance suggested she might be suffering with Lyme disease and after going to Mexico for blood tests Kirstie was diagnosed.

She has taken two trips to Mexico and one to Idaho, US, to seek stem cell treatment.

She said: "It has really, really helped."

Kirstie after a lumbar puncture in Mexico. (Image: Kirstie Haysman / SWNS) Kirstie was able to raise £20,000 for the first Mexico treatment in March 2023 through a GoFundMe page and financial help through family and friends.

The second treatment was provided to her for free by the doctors in Mexico.

She said: "They felt so bad that I wasn't getting any help at home."

Despite the treatment helping Kirstie's symptoms, Lyme disease has no cure.

Kirstie Haysman with daughter Harriet. (Image: Kirstie Haysman / SWNS) She said: "I am still suffering, some days I cannot get out of bed and my right leg is completely crippled, but I get by as best as I can, everyday is different."

The mum-of-one shared that her daughter, Harriet, 12, was also been diagnosed with Lyme disease in July 2023.

Harriet contracted the disease through utero, her mum says.

The CDC says: "Untreated Lyme disease during pregnancy can lead to infection of the placenta. Spread from mother to foetus is possible but rare."

Kirstie claims doctors dismissed symptoms for over a year due to no visible tick bites or a rash, which are first symptoms associated with the disease.

Kirstie said: "She struggles terribly with migraines, low mood, stomach aches and nausea.

"The doctors refused to test until she was 16 but I pushed and pushed for it.

"There isn't any treatment they can offer to her, it has been really hard to seek treatment for her."

Speaking on their differing symptoms, Kirstie said her and her daughter "support each other as best we can".

During treatment in Idaho, Kirstie had her daughter undergo some less invasive treatment similar to magnet and light treatment.

She said: "This treatment helped within a few weeks, she got her Hertz Lymer reaction which occurs when the bacteria is dying off."

The former-beauty pageant queen has gone from bedbound to be able to work again this year.

Kirstie will be working alongside the charity team at the Miss Great Britain beauty pageant to "raise awareness for Lyme disease and help others who are suffering".

She will be raising funds at the pageant for 'Alex's Wish', a charity that supports those suffering with joint and muscle pain with the main goal of eradicating Duchenne Muscular, a deadly illness which causes muscle weakness that worsens over time.

More information on the Alex's Wish charity can be found here: https://alexswish.co.uk/#

She said: "They have been so supportive, offering me wheelchairs and support where I need it throughout the pageant.

"My other main aim is to normalize mobility aids within the pageant industry and normalizing disabilities".

"It will be nice for Harriet to watch me do this and be proud of me instead of seeing me fall over in hospitals and struggling to walk."