By Mark Nesbitt/Sauk Prairie Eagle

SAUK PRAIRIE AREA - Grand Avenue Elementary School fifth-grader Eddie Smith was overwhelmed by a groundswell of fund-raising support in his fight against Lyme disease at the Eagle wrestling Invitational tournament Jan. 5.

"When everyone wears a shirt with your name on it, I feel kind of scared," said Eddie, who is 10 years old and was diagnosed with the disease in 2003. "It makes you feel happy at the same time."

Eddie has battled Lyme disease with the support of his family for almost five years and the family has turned to a combination of alternative treatments in its mission to eradicate the disease.

"We feel a responsibility to be advocates to get people to look a little deeper for a solution and to help others with similar issues," said Eddie's father, Scott who also is the Sauk Prairie wrestling coach.

During the Jan. 5 event, the Sauk Prairie wrestling club hosted a fund-raiser for Eddie. Proceeds from the 50/50 raffle, bake sale and donation box will be donated to the family to help pay for the ongoing medical costs for Eddie's treatment.

Scott and his wife, Miki first noticed a problem with Eddie while on a camping trip in Sheboygan when he was 5 years old. Eddie developed a bulls-eye rash characteristic of Lyme disease. He was diagnosed with Lyme disease at Divine Savior in Portage and given two weeks worth of antibiotics.

"I just thought it was a sickness and it would go away like most sicknesses do," Eddie said.

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected black-legged or deer ticks. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.

A year-and-a-half after the diagnosis, Miki said she noticed that Eddie was battling joint pain and twitching. On the weekend of the youth wrestling tournament in 2006, Eddie's temperature spiked to 104 degrees and he gutted out the tournament.

"I still wrestled, but it hurt really bad," Eddie said. "I didn't do as well as I could have."

The Lyme symptoms were dormant for six months when Eddie was prescribed long-term antibiotics, but the striking abdomen pain returned.

"It's like someone is punching me," Eddie said. "It goes away for five seconds and comes back."

The Smiths have chosen to use a combination of special treatments to fight the disease, including acupuncture and electromagnetic therapy.

Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating filiform needles into "acupuncture points" on the body with the aim of restoring health, treating pain and diseases, according to Wikipedia.com

Electromagnetic therapy is a form of alternative medicine aimed at treating disease by applying electromagnetic energy to the body.

Scott said health officials continue to debate the effectiveness of some alternative treatments Eddie is undergoing, but said the family would do whatever it could to help his son get through the effects of the disease.

"We have learned that you can take antibiotics and the Lyme can hide out in the body and go into cyst form," Scott said. "There is a lot of disagreement out there. I think a lot of doctors will be upset with what we are doing. We are just doing what is best for Eddie."