Ticks and Lyme disease are far too common and not at all discriminating. According to the most recent CDC statistics, there are nearly 500,000 new US cases of Lyme disease each year and more than half a million Americans suffering from long-term or late-stage Lyme disease. Some are fortunate to be diagnosed and treated early, but for some the path to a cure is long and challenging. Here we share some powerful stories of resilience and hope in the face of this debilitating and perplexing disease.

Are you interested in sharing your story? We’d like to hear from you.

Grace S.

Hilliard, OH
"I do not remember being bitten by a tick, so I felt it was impossible that I could have Lyme."
Read Grace's Story
Tasha R.
Danie V.
Enid H.

Natalie N.

Lee County, FL
"I'm 22 and living like a hermit... Lyme has taken so much from me."
Read Natalie's Story
Evan G.

Angeli Vanlaanen

Professional Freeskiier
"My story of going years undiagnosed is all too common."
Read Angeli's Story
Tara C.
Painter John Bramblitt
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Jennifer Capriati
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Justin Bieber
Alice Walker
Gerrit van Zijll
Grace W.
Olympian Christie Rampone

Louis S.

San Mateo County, CA
"My mom says she remembers the day my personality came back."
Read Louis's Story

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Tessa Wallace
Adrienne N.
Jocelyne B.

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella's Story
Shania Twain
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Yolanda Foster

Elet Hall

Freerunner, Parkour Athlete, and American Ninja Warrior
"I just want to get my body to a point where I can do what I want to do."
Read Elet's Story
Dancer Brendan Saye
Ryan H.

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Nelle F.
Author Porochista Khakpour
Gregg K.

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé's Story
Sharon W.
Kris Kristofferson
Kelsey W.

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Hannah O.
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt's Story
Calla J.
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Tori Foles

Tracy M.

Los Angeles County, CA
"I want to share my story, spread awareness about Lyme and give hope to those in pain."
Read Tracy's Story
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Karl B.
Lisa N.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Runner Robby A.

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
Cassie M.
Senator Kay Hagan
Wendy A.
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Legendary crooner José José

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story
Sierra R.
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Kathleen O.
Crystal Harris
Pete Seeger
Rebecca Wells
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Jane Alexander
Kelly Osbourne
Lindsay B.
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Actress Karen Allen

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story

Justin M.

Foxboro, MA
"Lyme is truly a debilitating disease, especially for those that can't afford it."
Read Justin's Story
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Gabe Magnotta

Christina C.

Alameda County, CA
"Many people know very little about Lyme. I'm going to change that."
Read Christina's Story
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Erin R.
Marisol Thomas

Ben A.

Long Island, NY
"My healing journey started with antibiotics, but they only provided temporary relief."
Read Ben's Story
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Walter H.
Ella B.
Whitfield W.
Breanna R.

Kris Newby

Santa Clara County, CA
"It is unhealthy for a society to use language that blames the victim."
Read Kris's Story
Mary-Margaret R.
Emily S.
Sarah N.
Colin M.

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Stephanie S.
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
Susan B.
Kyle Morton
George W. Bush
Davis B.
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Pastor Ramon H.
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Eddie S.

Joan A.

Chevy Chase, MD
"I would say if you have a bite—get to the right doctor for testing. Don’t rely on the CDC tests."
Read Joan's Story
Debbie Gibson

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
Erika S.
Nancy D.

Dominic S.

Groningen, Netherlands
"Lyme Disease is real, it isn’t a joke."
Read Dominic's Story
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story
Melissa M.
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Sarah M.

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly

Alan B.

Middlesex County, MA
"At some point, we will all be liberated from this nightmare."
Read Alan's Story
Claire E.
Tom Seaver
Ally Hilfiger

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
Bella Hadid
Thaiadora D.
Scott A.
Deanna T.
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
Amy Tan

Mary Sue A.

Monterey County, CA
"I will do everything in my power to help prevent this disease!"
Read Mary's Story

Alex H.

Fresno County, CA
"One day, I hope that no family goes through what ours did. For now, the first step is prevention"
Read Alex's Story
Nenah Cherry
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Author Andrew McGuinness

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Patrick P.
Author Eric Karlan
Christy Turlington
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Peter Sarsgaard

Drew M.

Portola Valley, CA
"I think Lyme most of all is a mental battle."
Read Drew's Story
Richard Gere

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story

Mark G.

San Diego, CA
"Lyme Disease has been the greatest teacher that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone."
Read Mark's Story
Musician Elijah Blue Allman

Kayla D.

Harris County, TX
"It never occurred to me that something else could be going on."
Read Kayla's Story

Tory C.

Sonoma County, CA
"I will fight this disease and I will get my life back! "
Read Tory's Story

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Marla Maples
Ben Stiller
Lisa V.
Melissa D.

Briana B.

Butte County, CA
"I am ready to take back my life."
Read Briana's Story
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Amy W.
Tom J.
Stephanie E.

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Amanda K.
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Olivia G.

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
James D.

Neil Spector, MD

Oncologist, Author, and Lyme patient
"I was in the active peak of my life, but it was like I was an old man."
Read Neil's Story
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Singer Marina Morgan

Ari S.

San Mateo County, CA
"Don’t try to do it on your own. It’s too hard. Get help."
Read Ari's Story

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
"I am doing ok."
Read Laura's Story
Writer David Michael Conner
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Author Jordan Fisher Smith

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Pro Golfer Gary Player
US Track Star Perry Fields

Brandon W.

Albemarle County, VA
"I hope one day we can find a cure to this terrible disease."
Read Brandon's Story

Dana Parish

Singer Songwriter
"I had the CDC-recommended 21 days of Doxy... I fully believed I'd be okay."
Read Dana's Story

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Avril Lavigne

KÊTA

Singer/Songwriter
"People need to know. Lyme is the fastest-growing infectious disease in the world!"
Read KÊTA's Story
Adventurer Ray Mears
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn

Emily F.

Medfield, MA
"It felt like each day I was adding new symptoms that had nothing to do with the last..."
Read Emily's Story

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Matthew G.

Camille A.

Spouse, mother, and caregiver
"The amount of suffering [from Lyme disease] is inexcusable!"
Read Camille's Story
Olivia S.

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Dr. Kristin Honey
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Thalia
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Chloe L.
Author Holly Chamelli
Artist Peter Williams

Christina K.

San Diego / Joshua Tree, CA
"I have made a conscious decision to choose an attitude and intention of thriving."
Read Christina's Story

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
Pop artist Sonali Argade

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine's Story
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Erin Walker

Tommy F.

Middlesex County, MA
"I hope by sharing my story I can provide some insight into the daily life of this disease."
Read Tommy's Story

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Chef Kirk Haworth

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Musician Bill Chinnock
Nikki K.
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Kathleen Hanna
Samantha P.
Elena Delle Donne
Ashley Olsen

Shelby A.

Butte County, CA
"My hope is that one day Lyme disease will be treated quickly and correctly…"
Read Shelby's Story

Sharane D.

Maricopa County, AZ
"I am going to do what I can to make sure no one else has to go through my nightmare."
Read Sharane's Story
Brooke Landau

Milena G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Milena's Story

Michelle M.

Suffolk County, NY
"If I was ever going to get better, I had to be my own advocate."
Read Michelle's Story
Kirstie Alley
Nicole K.

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Suzanne P.
Cassidy C.
Parker Posey

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Nichola M.
Ruben Lee Sims
Anwar Hadid
Fontayne F.