GoFundMe Page Supporting Drumbo Firefighter

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Wednesday, 4 June 2025 11:24

Photo Credit: Support Jason Hibbs' Mexico Lyme Treatment Journey GoFundMe page

Jason Hibbs will receive treatment at a Lyme disease clinic in Mexico next month.

DRUMBO - A GoFundMe page is looking to send a local man down to Mexico to receive treatment for Lyme disease.

Jason Hibbs was a volunteer firefighter in Drumbo for over 10 years. He also worked for Brink's Canada for over 10 years and he has experience working as an arborist. He is a father of two daughters, one being 17 and the other being 12, and he has two younger siblings.

His youngest sister, Raquel Ruttan, says Jason's life changed in the spring of 2019.

"One day he had noticed, after being outside, he had multiple ticks crawling on him. Unfortunately it wasn't until a day or two later that he noticed that he actually had multiple ticks embedded in a leg and his scalp."

He got some assistance getting the ticks out, but Ruttan says it was too late.

"It was only a couple of weeks after that he started to show signs of fever. He also had a rash but it wasn't a bullseye rash. Many people like to think that's what you look for, but there's only about 40 percent of people that get infected that actually show the bullseye rash."

He also experienced muscle and joint stiffness and he had a difficult time standing because started to lose feeling in his legs. He eventually had to start using a wheelchair and retire from the fire department.

Hibbs was officially diagnosed with Lyme disease two years later. He has exhausted all of his treatment options in Canada since then including doses of antibiotics and hyperbaric chamber sessions.

His doctor recommended that Jason go to Mexico for a six-week treatment at a Lyme disease clinic. Ruttan says they have more options there and gives us some examples.

"Pick line antibiotics, so that's hours of being hooked up to an IV with antibiotics pumped directly into his system. They also have a machine that will take three litres of blood out of his body out to remove the bad plasma and then put the good stuff back in."

She adds the clinic also offers hypothermia treatment, infrared sessions and Jason will be able to continue his hyperbaric chamber sessions as well.

Ruttan says the treatment will cost about $56,000 Canadian, but they are hoping to raise $60,000 to cover other costs associated with this trip.

"We will also have to have someone there to assist him because he is basically bed-ridden at this point and he doesn't get out very much. We've also had to put a deposit down on an apartment that is close to the clinic because they will do house calls if he is not feeling well and needs a nurse. You also have to buy food, water, etc."

She says Jason will have some friendly faces nearby during this experience.

"I am hoping to take enough time off work to go. Thankfully the Drumbo firefighters have been very involved in this and quite a few of them have offered to book a week off work to go down there to be with him and assist with whatever he needs."

The goal is to send Jason down to Mexico in July, 2025. You can donate to the GoFundMe page online here.