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.

Mary Sue A.

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

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Amy Tan
Parker Posey
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein

Emily L.

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

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
George W. Bush

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
Erin R.

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story
Mary-Margaret R.
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Karl B.

Trae V.

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

Angeli Vanlaanen

Professional Freeskiier
"My story of going years undiagnosed is all too common."
Read Angeli's Story
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Brenton Tyler Hoffman

Natalie N.

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

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Shania Twain
Kelly Osbourne
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Fontayne F.

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine's Story
Eddie S.
Melissa M.
Ally Hilfiger
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Jocelyne B.
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Justin Bieber
Entrepreneur John Caudwell

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Wendy A.

Kayla D.

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

Brooke G.

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

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
""I am doing ok.""
Read Laura's Story
Erika S.

Christina C.

Alameda County, CA
"Many people know very little about Lyme. I'm going to change that."
Read Christina's Story
Gabe Magnotta
Peter Sarsgaard
Musician Bill Chinnock
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Adventurer Ray Mears
Stephanie S.
Enid H.

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
James D.
Author Andrew McGuinness

Michelle M.

Suffolk County, NY
"If I was ever going to get better, I had to be my own advocate."
Read Michelle's Story
Whitfield W.
Tori Foles
Suzanne P.
Kathleen O.
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Colin M.
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Sharon W.
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Nicole K.
Evan G.
Cassie M.

Susie M.

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

Alan B.

Middlesex County, MA
"At some point, we will all be liberated from this nightmare."
Read Alan's Story
Lisa N.
Bella Hadid
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Kris Kristofferson
Alex H.
Olympian Christie Rampone
Elena Delle Donne

Shelby A.

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

Bella M.

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

Kari M.

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

Camille A.

Spouse, mother, and caregiver
"The amount of suffering [from Lyme disease] is inexcusable!"
Read Camille's Story
Breanna R.
Painter John Bramblitt

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Cassidy C.
Pastor Ramon H.
Sarah N.
Nelle F.
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Kelsey W.
Ruben Lee Sims
Legendary crooner José José
Davis B.
Ella B.

David D.

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Chloe L.

Millie G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Millie's Story
Avril Lavigne
Hannah O.
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
Matthew G.
Lindsay B.

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
Christy Turlington
Olivia S.
Sierra R.
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Claire E.
Actress Karen Allen

Rachel H.

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

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Phil G.

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

Dana Parish

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

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
Senator Kay Hagan
Erin Walker
Gregg K.

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Ryan H.
Tasha R.

Karine B.

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

Sarah H.

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

Mela L.

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

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
Debbie Gibson
Lisa V.

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Melissa D.
Kirstie Alley
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Adrienne N.
Walter H.

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
Susan B.
Olivia G.

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story
Patrick P.
US Track Star Perry Fields
Author Porochista Khakpour

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
Chef Kirk Haworth
Jane Alexander
Nancy D.
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.

Kris Newby

Santa Clara County, CA
"It is unhealthy for a society to use language that blames the victim."
Read Kris's Story
Amy W.
Grace W.
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Amanda K.
Pete Seeger
Tara C.
Alice Walker
Jennifer Capriati

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
Crystal Harris
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Author Holly Chamelli
RHONY star Ramona Singer

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
Writer David Michael Conner
Kyle Morton
Tom Seaver

Dominic S.

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

Kevin S.

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

Louis S.

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

Tory C.

Sonoma County, CA
"I will fight this disease and I will get my life back! "
Read Tory's Story
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Runner Robby A.

Heather F.

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

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Rebecca Wells
Nenah Cherry
Artist Peter Williams
Author Eric Karlan
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer

Briana B.

Butte County, CA
"I am ready to take back my life."
Read Briana's Story
Dr. Kristin Honey
Nikki K.
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
BBC Reporter Allan Little
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson

Seth D.

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

KÊTA

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

Brandon W.

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

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Singer Marina Morgan
Marla Maples
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Dancer Brendan Saye
Stephanie E.
Scott A.
Thalia
Tessa Wallace

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
Deanna T.

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Marisol Thomas
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Tom J.

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
Gerrit van Zijll

Matt Dawson

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