Ticks and Lyme disease are far too common and not at all discriminating. There are over 329,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year in the US 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.

Actor/Producer Ariel Stein

Kris Newby

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

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil'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
Olivia G.
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story

Jenn B.

Alameda County, CA
"I hope this account of my struggle helps educate the public and enlighten medical professionals."
Read Jenn'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

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
Lisa N.

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

Louis S.

San Mateo County, CA
"My mom says she remembers the day my personality came back."
Read Louis's Story
Erin R.
Author Porochista Khakpour
Grace W.
Singer Marina Morgan
Pop artist Sonali Argade

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
Author Andrew McGuinness
Entrepreneur John Caudwell

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Ashley Olsen
Kirstie Alley

Dana Parish

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

Kayla D.

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

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story

Brandon W.

Albemarle County, VA
"I hope one day we can find a cure to this terrible disease."
Read Brandon's Story
Erin Walker
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Kris Kristofferson

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Parker Posey
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Scott A.
Amy W.

Karine B.

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

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
George W. Bush
Avril Lavigne

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Legendary crooner José José

Mary Kate Robertson

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

Camille A.

Spouse, mother, and caregiver
"The amount of suffering [from Lyme disease] is inexcusable!"
Read Camille's Story
Elena Delle Donne
Marisol Thomas
Samantha P.
Olympian Kristen Sweetland

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
""I am doing ok.""
Read Laura's Story
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Nichola M.
Kathleen O.
Pete Seeger

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
Melissa D.
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker

Mary Sue A.

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

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Actress Martine McCutcheon
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Kyle Morton
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese

KÊTA

Singer/Songwriter
"People need to know. Lyme is the fastest-growing infectious disease in the world!"
Read KÊTA's Story

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
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Enid H.
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis

Christina C.

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

Tory C.

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

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
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Gabe Magnotta
Pastor Ramon H.
Olivia S.
Gregg K.
Whitfield W.
Karl B.

Alix M.

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

Brooke G.

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

Izabela B.

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

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
US Track Star Perry Fields
Reality TV star Irene McGee
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Hannah O.

Kelly W.

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

Kevin S.

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

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Lisa V.
Shania Twain
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Cassidy C.
Susan B.
Brooke Landau
Colin M.
Sharon W.

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
Wendy A.
Jennifer Capriati
Dr. Kristin Honey
Adrienne N.

Briana B.

Butte County, CA
"I am ready to take back my life."
Read Briana's Story
Anwar Hadid
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Ally Hilfiger

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Amy Tan
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Melissa M.
Erika S.
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla

Shona C.

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

Marjorie H.

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

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella's Story
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Writer David Michael Conner
Sierra R.
Ryan H.
Senator Kay Hagan
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Chef Kirk Haworth
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Tara C.

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Nenah Cherry
Ruben Lee Sims
Sarah N.
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Author Eric Karlan
Breanna R.
Stephanie E.
Olympian Christie Rampone
Eddie S.

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Kelsey W.

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
Lindsay B.
Brenton Tyler Hoffman

Alan B.

Middlesex County, MA
"At some point, we will all be liberated from this nightmare."
Read Alan's Story

Natalie N.

Lee County, FL
"I'm 22 and living like a hermit... Lyme has taken so much from me."
Read Natalie's Story
Gerrit van Zijll
Tori Foles

Mark Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Mark's Story

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Artist Peter Williams
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine's Story
Painter John Bramblitt
Actress Karen Allen
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
Debbie Gibson
Kathleen Hanna

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Tom Seaver
Christy Turlington
Davis B.
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Rebecca Wells
Dancer Brendan Saye
Alice Walker

Laure W.

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

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Ben Stiller
Tessa Wallace
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Patrick P.

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Andrew G.

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

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Richard Gere
Crystal Harris
Emily S.
Adventurer Ray Mears
James D.
Pro Golfer Gary Player

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Peter Sarsgaard
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Thalia
Jane Alexander
Musician Bill Chinnock

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Marla Maples
Claire E.