Ticks and Lyme disease are far too common and not at all discriminating. There are over 400,000 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.

Author Porochista Khakpour

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah'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
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan

Brooke G.

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

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Karl B.

Kris Newby

Santa Clara County, CA
"It is unhealthy for a society to use language that blames the victim."
Read Kris's Story
Deanna T.

Tory C.

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

Louis S.

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

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
Stephanie S.
Yolanda Foster
Ben Stiller
Ryan H.

Kelly W.

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

Briana B.

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

Daryl Hall

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

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Tessa Wallace
Actress Karen Allen
Scott A.
Dr. Kristin Honey
Congressman Berkley Bedell

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story
Ruben Lee Sims
Brenton Tyler Hoffman

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
Musician Bill Chinnock
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young

Jenn B.

Alameda County, CA
"I hope my struggle helps educate the public and enlighten medical professionals."
Read Jenn's Story
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Melissa D.

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Sierra R.
Kirstie Alley
Marisol Thomas
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Erika S.
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Legendary crooner José José
Rebecca Wells
Bella Hadid
Adventurer Ray Mears

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story
Jennifer Capriati
Kyle Morton
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Cassie M.

Shymala H.

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

Izabela B.

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

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story
Amanda K.
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Melissa M.
Lisa V.
Dancer Brendan Saye

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Kelly Osbourne

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Seth D.

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

Sarah H.

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

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
Ella B.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Rachel H.

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

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Wendy A.
Suzanne P.
Matthew G.
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Susan B.
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis

Mary Sue A.

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

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
Cassidy C.
Eddie S.
Author Andrew McGuinness
Emily S.

Michelle M.

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

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
""I am doing ok.""
Read Laura's Story
James D.
Crystal Harris
Kathleen O.
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Alice Walker
Danie V.
George W. Bush
Chloe L.
Tom Seaver
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Samantha P.
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Jane Alexander
Author Holly Chamelli
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Amy W.
Anwar Hadid
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Patrick P.
US Track Star Perry Fields
Thalia
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Claire E.
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Ashley Olsen
Elena Delle Donne
Colin M.
Kathleen Hanna
Painter John Bramblitt
Adrienne N.

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
Justin Bieber
Nikki K.
Breanna R.
Calla J.
Thaiadora D.

Laure W.

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

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin'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
Alex H.
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Amy Tan
Sharon W.
Nichola M.

Christina C.

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

Mela L.

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

Kari M.

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

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Tom J.
Author Eric Karlan
Runner Robby A.
Mary-Margaret R.
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Jocelyne B.
Brooke Landau
Avril Lavigne
Debbie Gibson

Brandon W.

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

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Nenah Cherry
Pastor Ramon H.
Erin R.

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Gregg K.
Erin Walker
Enid H.
Shania Twain

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Sarah M.
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Walter H.
Senator Kay Hagan

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
Fontayne F.

Camille A.

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

Kayla D.

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

Alan B.

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

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
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
Ally Hilfiger
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Chef Kirk Haworth

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Evan G.

Katherine H.

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

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella's Story
Tara C.
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Ink Master Geary Morrill

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Hannah O.
Nelle F.

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David'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
Christy Turlington
Nancy D.
Lisa N.
Olivia G.
Peter Sarsgaard
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson

KÊTA

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

Maisie M.

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

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Kelsey W.
Sarah N.
Richard Gere
Lindsay B.
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Tori Foles

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt's Story
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein