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.

Tennis pro Samantha Stosur

Kris Newby

Santa Clara County, CA
"It is unhealthy for a society to use language that blames the victim."
Read Kris's Story

Melinda B.

Davie, FL
"Lyme disease didn’t knock. It invaded."
Read Melinda's Story
Dr. Kristin Honey
Stephanie S.

Angeli Vanlaanen

Professional Freeskiier
"My story of going years undiagnosed is all too common."
Read Angeli's Story

Kayla D.

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

Tory C.

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

Phil G.

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

Jessica S.

Dalton, GA
"I’ve learned that healing is not just physical. It’s emotional, mental, and spiritual."
Read Jessica's Story
Whitfield W.
Kyle Morton
Eddie S.

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Rebecca Wells
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Emily S.
Calla J.
Matthew G.
Enid H.
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Adrienne N.

Milena G.

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

Drew M.

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

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

Michelle M.

Suffolk County, NY
"If I was ever going to get better, I had to be my own advocate."
Read Michelle's Story
Thalia
Sharon W.
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Stephanie E.
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Ally Hilfiger

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
Karl B.
Lisa N.
Sierra R.
Marla Maples
Elena Delle Donne

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Tara C.
Kelly Osbourne

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
Christy Turlington
Cassidy C.
Tori Foles
Thaiadora D.
Marisol Thomas

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Erin R.
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Ashley Olsen

Alan B.

Middlesex County, MA
"At some point, we will all be liberated from this nightmare."
Read Alan's Story
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Runner Robby A.
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
James D.

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Parker Posey
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Actress Karen Allen
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
Musician Bill Chinnock

Mary Sue A.

Monterey County, CA
"I will do everything in my power to help prevent this disease!"
Read Mary's Story
Singer Marina Morgan
Musician Elijah Blue Allman

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

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
Chef Kirk Haworth

Marc L.

Falmouth, ME
"...do not give up and keep searching until you find a knowledgeable provider..."
Read Marc's Story
Kelsey W.

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story
Writer David Michael Conner
Chloe L.

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story

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
Danie V.
Tasha R.
Tom Seaver
Gregg K.
Hannah O.
Amanda K.

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
Olivia G.
Claire E.
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Jennifer Capriati
Susan B.
Congressman Berkley Bedell

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Tessa Wallace
Suzanne P.

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Wendy A.
Brooke Landau

Justin M.

Foxboro, MA
"Lyme is truly a debilitating disease, especially for those that can't afford it."
Read Justin's Story
Painter John Bramblitt

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Jane Alexander

Brandon W.

Albemarle County, VA
"I hope one day we can find a cure to this terrible disease."
Read Brandon's Story
Ben Stiller
Walter H.
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Amy W.
Amy Tan

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Pastor Ramon H.

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Entrepreneur John Caudwell

Dominic S.

Groningen, Netherlands
"Lyme Disease is real, it isn’t a joke."
Read Dominic's Story
Erika S.
Deanna T.
Anwar Hadid
Comedian Akilah Hughes

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
Author Porochista Khakpour
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Erin Walker

Camille A.

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

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story
Senator Kay Hagan
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Justin Bieber

Louis S.

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

Daryl Hall

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

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
Kris Kristofferson
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Tom J.

Natalie N.

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

Briana B.

Butte County, CA
"I am ready to take back my life."
Read Briana's Story
Debbie Gibson

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

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé's Story
Avril Lavigne
Reality TV star Irene McGee

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
Kirstie Alley
Evan G.

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
Nenah Cherry
Bella Hadid
Netflix star Talia Jackson

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story
Melissa M.
Crystal Harris
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Scott A.
Sarah N.
George W. Bush
Ella B.

Olivia A.

New York, NY
"I truly believe we can live in a world free of tick-borne illnesses"
Read Olivia's Story

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Soccer star Karel Poborsky

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Cassie M.
Sarah M.

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt's Story
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
US Track Star Perry Fields
Kathleen O.

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
Grace W.
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Legendary crooner José José
Gabe Magnotta
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Gerrit van Zijll
Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Nancy D.

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine's Story
Ink Master Geary Morrill
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Samantha P.
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Yolanda Foster

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Shania Twain
Author Eric Karlan
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Patrick P.
Nichola M.
Olivia S.
Adventurer Ray Mears

Sarah H.

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

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Peter Sarsgaard
Melissa D.

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
Olympian Christie Rampone

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
"I am doing ok."
Read Laura's Story
Kathleen Hanna
Mary-Margaret R.
Breanna R.
Alice Walker

Mark G.

San Diego, CA
"Lyme Disease has been the greatest teacher that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone."
Read Mark's Story
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Nelle F.
Ruben Lee Sims
Actress Martine McCutcheon

Alix M.

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

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella's Story

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Richard Gere
Colin M.
Lisa V.

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
Artist Peter Williams
Pete Seeger

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly

KÊTA

Singer/Songwriter
"People need to know. Lyme is the fastest-growing infectious disease in the world!"
Read KÊTA's Story
Author Holly Chamelli
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Competitive miler Drew Hunter

Christina C.

Alameda County, CA
"Many people know very little about Lyme. I'm going to change that."
Read Christina's Story

Ben A.

Long Island, NY
"My healing journey started with antibiotics, but they only provided temporary relief."
Read Ben'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

Shelby A.

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

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

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave'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
Pro Golfer Gary Player