5-year illness leads to book of hope

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5-year illness leads to book of hope
Battle with Lyme Disease inspires victim, mother

BY CARL RYAN
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Mary Rose Takacs, right, was bitten by a tick and infected with Lyme Disease at 9. She and her mother, Marianne Takacs, left, are the authors of 'Hope in the Midst.'

TEMPERANCE -- When she was 9, Mary Rose Takacs was bitten by a tick and stricken with a case of advanced, acute Lyme disease that lasted for years and threatened to kill her.

When the diagnosis was made, her doctor told her, "Things will get worse before they get better." He was right. The illness progressed, and for two years she was unable to walk. Her sleep patterns were so disrupted that she had to drop out of Bedford Public Schools and be home-schooled by her mother. She was in constant pain and her body was unable to assimilate food. A physical therapist warned her she might never walk again.

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But walk again she did. Today, Mary Rose, at 23, is recovered and looking forward to her April 1 wedding. Yet the memory of her childhood illness and the toll it took on her and her family remains. So she and her mother, Marianne Takacs, decided they could put it to productive use and perhaps help others who found themselves in an extreme situation.

The two wrote Hope in the Midst: 30 Devotions of Comfort and Inspiration, which sprang from Mary Rose's five-year battle with Lyme.

"It's written to encourage people, to inspire people, that God hasn't abandoned them to the circumstances they face," Mary Rose explained.

Added her mother: "When you hit those points in life, you say, 'I have no control here. My best is not good enough.' That's when you turn to your faith."

The book is published by West Bow Press, a division of the well-known religious publisher Thomas Nelson. The mother and daughter team have been appearing with it at book signings. The next one will be Jan. 28 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Schakolad Chocolate Factory at Westfield Franklin Park. It also can be purchased online at marianneandmaryrose.com.

The book was written over 10 months last year. Several times a week, the duo sat down in the family room of their Sterns Road home with their laptops to write. The book is organized as a one-month devotional, with a blank page at the end of each chapter for readers to note reflections.

The book of devotions also tells of Mary Rose Takacs' fight with Lyme disease.

Lyme disease, named for the city of Lyme, Conn., is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. When diagnosed early, it can be knocked out with antibiotics. The young Mary Rose did not get an early diagnosis. Untreated, it can spread to the brain, heart, and joints.

"Lyme disease was thought not to be common in this part of the country," Mrs. Takacs said, "but it is."

The book describes the disease: "She complained of headaches that would not go away. Even her teachers commented on the changes in her schoolwork and usual stamina. It appeared she had an ongoing flu. Countless doctor's visits and medical tests yielded no answers. We were told it would be only a matter of time and she should feel better. It didn't appear, however, that time was a luxury we could afford."

Mary Rose's affliction proved to be a transformational experience for her family, who traveled to doctors across southeast Michigan. Her father, Randy, a University of Michigan electrician and skilled do-it-yourselfer, installed a wheelchair ramp at their home's front entrance.

The book tells of a tough decision the parents had to make after getting a correct diagnosis: "The suggested protocol would require a pick line to be inserted into her left arm. It would run up her arm and end just above her heart. Medicine could then be dispensed at a frequent rate. It was a medicine that was so powerful it could potentially end our daughter's life … As scary as that sounds, the thought of staying where we were was not any more comforting. Mary Rose was rapidly losing weight as her body was being ravaged by an unseen killer within."

Mrs. Takacs credits friends and fellow worshippers at Crossroads Community Church in Ottawa Lake with giving her strength. She said she hopes the book can be a source of help and solace.