Coronation Street shock as Chesney's son given devastating diagnosis

ok.co.uk:

Corrie doesn’t shy away from the big issues, and next week, another comes to the fore.There’s a nasty surprise in store for Gemma and Chesney Brown, who began dating on the soap in 2019, as they finally discover that the mysterious illness their son Joseph has been struck down with is Lyme disease.

Joseph's shock diagnosis comes when, following weeks of worry, trips to the GP and Gemma even being removed from the house by social services after they suspect her of deliberately poisoning her son, he collapses while at home and is rushed to hospital.There, doctors tell his distraught parents and grandparents that the culprit is Lyme Disease, probably picked up from a tick bite whilst on a camping holiday and though shocked, Gemma and Chesney are relieved that Joseph’s disease is treatable - and he should make a full recovery.

Writers at Coronation Street have consulted on the plot with Lyme Disease UK. Julia Knight, a retired Specialist Practitioner Paediatric Nurse in Community Nursing, who has experienced Lyme disease herself, volunteers for the charity.

She said: “It has been my great pleasure to work with the Coronation Street script writers to give them advice so that they could produce a storyline that is both realistic and engaging. “Lyme disease can easily be overlooked if a person only shows viral-type symptoms initially, as in the storyline.