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.

Dr. Kristin Honey
Boxer Mikkel Kessler

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt's Story
Marisol Thomas
Chef Kirk Haworth
Tasha R.

Dana Parish

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

Laure W.

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

Brandon W.

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

Kayla D.

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

Triathlete Angela Naeth

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

KÊTA

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

Shelby A.

Butte County, CA
"My hope is that one day Lyme disease will be treated quickly and correctly…"
Read Shelby's Story
George W. Bush
Author Andrew McGuinness
Musician Bill Chinnock

Kris Newby

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

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story
US Track Star Perry Fields
Wendy A.

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Bella Hadid
Sarah M.
Tessa Wallace

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Karl B.

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Gregg K.
Suzanne P.
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Reality TV star Irene McGee
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Thaiadora D.
Calla J.

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
Erika S.
Tom J.

Daryl Hall

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

Shymala H.

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

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story
Ben Stiller
Cassidy C.
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Christy Turlington
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Ruben Lee Sims
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Peter Sarsgaard
Competitive miler Drew Hunter

Briana B.

Butte County, CA
"I am ready to take back my life."
Read Briana's Story
Enid H.
Nelle F.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Parker Posey

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

Drew M.

Portola Valley, CA
"I think Lyme most of all is a mental battle."
Read Drew's Story
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Lindsay B.

Justin M.

Foxboro, MA
"Lyme is truly a debilitating disease, especially for those that can't afford it."
Read Justin's Story
Claire E.
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Chloe L.
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Brooke Landau
Cassie M.
Jennifer Capriati
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Tara C.
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle

Michelle M.

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

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
Lisa N.
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Author Porochista Khakpour
Samantha P.
Erin Walker
Nichola M.
Melissa M.
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Author Holly Chamelli
Kyle Morton
Marla Maples
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Colin M.
Kelsey W.

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Author Eric Karlan
Tom Seaver
Ryan H.
Richard Gere

Christina C.

Alameda County, CA
"Many people know very little about Lyme. I'm going to change that."
Read Christina's Story
Ashley Olsen
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Olivia S.
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Eddie S.
Senator Kay Hagan
Sarah N.

Rachel H.

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

Tory C.

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

Ben A.

Long Island, NY
"My healing journey started with antibiotics, but they only provided temporary relief."
Read Ben's Story
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Mary-Margaret R.
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Scott A.
Breanna R.
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Pastor Ramon H.

Dominic S.

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

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

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
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Gerrit van Zijll
Susan B.
Alice Walker

Louis S.

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

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
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Painter John Bramblitt

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
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Stephanie E.

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

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Walter H.
Erin R.
Dancer Brendan Saye
Emily S.

Andrew G.

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

Jonathan L.

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

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Amanda K.
Kelly Osbourne
Melissa D.
Davis B.
Justin Bieber
Musician Elijah Blue Allman

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Lisa V.
Kathleen O.
Stephanie S.

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
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young

Alix M.

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

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie'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
Nancy D.
Runner Robby A.

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Adrienne N.
Olympian Christie Rampone

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Kathleen Hanna
Patrick P.

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
Grace W.
Adventurer Ray Mears

Milena G.

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

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story
Matthew G.
Debbie Gibson
Anwar Hadid

David D.

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

Bella M.

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

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Jane Alexander
Kirstie Alley
Singer Marina Morgan

Camille A.

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

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

Natalie N.

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

Michelle T.

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

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine's Story

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Netflix star Talia Jackson

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
Nicole K.
Ally Hilfiger

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Ella B.
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver

Mary Kate Robertson

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

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
Brenton Tyler Hoffman

Alan B.

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

Mary Sue A.

Monterey County, CA
"I will do everything in my power to help prevent this disease!"
Read Mary's Story
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Writer David Michael Conner

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Deanna T.
Sharon W.
Avril Lavigne
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Actress Karen Allen
Nenah Cherry
Crystal Harris
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Rocker Dave Mustaine
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Amy Tan
Gabe Magnotta
Jocelyne B.
Olivia G.

Izabela B.

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

Meghan W.

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

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story
Rebecca Wells
Pro Golfer Gary Player

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
"I am doing ok."
Read Laura'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