Photos included in the collage above: Collage from Left to Right:  The inserted picture under the flowering Redbud tree is one that was taken of Theda in her "lay-down" wheeler on her last birthday. Her Mum, Carol, is holding the cake made specially for her dietary requirements ; Theda in Red Shoes;  The various colours of the heart shaped leaves of the Redbud tree, purple, green,  yellow and red ; Monarch butterfly on the blossoms of a redbud tree.
*The meaning underlying the Redbud tree, and Red Shoes is explained below. 
Below:                                           

* Memorial Video (photo's, condolence messages) is currently being put together for Theda to the song "Dancing in the Sky".  Below is the original version (by Dani and Lizzy) which will be replaced by the memorial version when completed.   
* Two Today Tonight Segments: One with numerous Western Australian Lyme Patients (including Theda) and another the segment aired after her death:  "Theda's Legacy for Lyme Recognition in Australia".
* The  Collection of photos Theda submitted for the Worldwide Lyme Awareness Photos - as well as the "highlights" patient video, made for this event. For more on the background of the patient video's, as well as others made  click here.
*The meaning underlying the Redbud tree, and Red Shoes is explained further down the page (below the video segments).


Theda Myint  : 2nd January 1976 - 25th July 2013  

Another bright star joined in helping  the evening sky shine more brightly on 25th July 2013, the day vibrant 37 year old Perth woman Theda Myint passed away.

Theda’s chronic illness journey began when she caught the flu whilst travelling in Europe in early 2000. It is believed that this infection overloaded her immune system and triggered the onset of Lyme, which had previously lain dormant in her body after multiple tick bites back home in Australia.

Initially, her symptoms were relatively mild, allowing her ambition and passion for life to drive her completion of degrees in art and music. Theda completed her broadcasting degree and won a Channel 7 award for a documentary she created. She was also offered a 10 week internship on the George Negus Tonight program. She was never able to take up this internship, or fulfil her desire to work as an investigative reporter as her health continued to deteriorate.

Theda battled a constant, debilitating headache for almost 9 years, which was further exacerbated by sensitivity to light and sound. She often wore sunglasses and headphones in an attempt to reduce her pain by minimising sensory input to her brain. She also suffered widespread pain, extreme exhaustion, cognitive dysfunction, and the list goes on. As a result, Theda spent many years bedbound. On her worst days, she simply attempted to sleep or to get through the day, with her loyal dogs Maggie and Toffee by her side. On slightly better days, she would listen to audio books or interact with the online chronically ill community. The days where she was actually able to spend time actively participating in conversations with her Mum, partner, family and friends were treasured immensely.

Theda’s determination to regain control of her life led her to seek medical help from many sources, both in Australia and overseas. She was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and then, in late 2011, Lyme disease.

Theda and her mother, Carol, raised the profile of Lyme in Australia, through media interviews including multiple segments on Today Tonight. Audiences were inspired by Theda’s conviction that she would recover; she certainly did her best to make that happen, by continuing to research treatment options - she even sought treatment at an overseas clinic. Unfortunately, by the time she received her Lyme diagnosis, significant damage had already occurred within her body and nothing seemed to bring her lasting relief.

In pictures that Theda submitted in March 2013 for participation in the Worldwide Lyme Protest video, Theda referred to her longing for the simple things that others take for granted, like the ability to take care of herself, to bear healthy children, to walk her dogs on the beach, to move in with her partner, and to use computers and TVs without experiencing physical distress. She also dreamed of being “the next Oprah Winfrey or JK Rowling”.

However, the constant excruciating pain was wearing Theda down; she was not only in agony, she was exhausted after years of relentless battling and dashed hopes of effective treatment. Eventually, on 25 July 2013, just one day after her last medical appointment, in which a neurologist advised her that she had tried all options available for pain management, Theda “euthanased” herself (in the words of her mother, Carol). She never lost her love of life; she simply became overwhelmed by the desire to escape her pain.

“When news of Theda’s passing broke, there was an outpouring of grief from chronic/invisible illness communities internationally, Today Tonight audiences and many other people who were perhaps hearing her story for the first time. Theda's last wish was for Lyme disease recognition in Australia; she may not have been able to achieve her dream of changing the world through journalism, but she hoped her story would increase public awareness of the urgent need for prompt diagnosis and effective treatment of fellow patients. Her family, partner, and friends from around Australia and indeed around the world, will ensure her memory lives on forever and her wish becomes a reality.

Theda's journey above compiled and written by: Carol, Blake, Janice and Karen.
Today Tonight interview of Western Australian Lyme Patients. Click here for written account of interview
Today Tonight Segment after Theda's passing: "Theda's Legacy for Lyme Recognition In Australia"
Worldwide Lyme Awareness Protest Australia : General Highlights Video
Theda's Worldwide Lyme Awareness Protest Photo Submissions
A background on the photo's opposite. For more info see: Worldwide Lyme Awareness Protest - Australia
"As part of Australia’s campaign to promote the Worldwide Lyme  protest, supporters of our Facebook page were asked to take photos of themselves with signs completing the following sentences:

“I am…”
“I’ve lost…”
“I want…”

It was hoped that these photos, when compiled into a video, would give an insight into ‘Lymie life’, without putting the strain of ad lib discussion on participants. 
Background on the significance of  Red Shoes
The concept of Red Shoe Day stemmed from the same conversation above with regards to planting a tree in memory of Theda. After Carol's response regarding the trees, Tennille Pooley asked Carol what Theda's favourite colour was, so that she could make a sign with Theda's name for her garden.

Carol's reply: "Her favourite colour was green, unless it was shoes! She loved red shoes."

Mel B was next to comment with "I love red shoes too, I will think of Theda every time I wear mine".  With Kirsten Smith's following comment,  "Red Shoe Day in her memory?", cementing the concept of launching Red Shoe Day in Theda's memory.

Due to recently having worked on international awareness events, and knowing others advocates in various countries, Karen Smith felt that this event would be embraced by people all over the world (rather than just Theda's country of residence, Australia), and Red Shoe Day, became International Red Shoe Day.

Karen Smith and Lisa Hilton /Global Lyme & Invisible Illness Organisation founded International Red Shoe Day on the 25th July 2014. It has become a yearly remembrance day for all those lost to Invisible Illness For more information see: http://www.globallymeinvisibleillness.org/red-shoe-day--a-day-of-remembrance.html
Background on the meaning underlying Redbud Tree:
On Theda's passing, hundreds of condolence messages were left for Theda's loved ones. One of these was from Gitte Forsberg Bojsen  in  Denmark, Europe:                "I Will Plant a tree here in Europe for beautiful Theda. I cannot go to Australia, and cannot change world, but a tree for Theda is what I will do - to remind the world of a beautiful soul. It will be a Heart Leaf Tree".

Carol (Theda's Mum) replied: "I love the idea of a tree with heart shaped leaves for Theda. A few days before she died I bundled her up in a doona and pushed her across the road to a little park and she lay under a tree looking up through the leaves. It made her happy. Her first memory was looking up into a tree".

Due to the Gitte's comments and Carol's reply, I went on the search for trees with heart shaped leaves. The one that I found that seemed to so appropriately fit the occasion (and different varieties all around the world)  was the "RedBud".  Redbuds have heart-shaped, blood-red leaves that slowly turn a dark purple-tinged green in the sun. Autumn brings about a range of colours, from reds, purples, oranges, and yellows.  Depending on the variety of Redbud tree, the early spring sees the Redbud flower with gorgeous bright purple-pink, white, or red clusters of flowers.
If you would like to plant a Redbud tree in memory of Theda and others lost to invisible illness, more on the various Redbud varieties around the world can be seen on the following links: Australia,  America, Europe & Asia.   

Or perhaps, for those that are confined to the house/bed, a smaller Bonsai Tree is more to your liking:

"Bonsai Tree  To many people the word bonsai brings to mind a stunted tree or plant which is left to grow in a tiny container. The expression bonsai actually consists of two Japanese words: "bon" meaning a shallow container or tray, and "sai", a plant or planting. But bonsai is not the art of stunting a tree’s growth, rather it is the art of growing plants in a confined space to create a piece of nature in miniature"... click here to continue reading  
If you do plant a tree - Please email (contact us button) me as I would love to share your memory/picture.