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.

Singer Marina Morgan
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Sharon W.
Elena Delle Donne
Breanna R.
Cassie M.

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
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder

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

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Stephanie S.
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Erin R.
Olivia S.
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Ella B.

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt's Story
Sarah M.
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Nicole K.
Nichola M.
Jane Alexander
Competitive miler Drew Hunter

Alan B.

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

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Kathleen Hanna
Suzanne P.
Author Andrew McGuinness
Runner Robby A.
Nikki K.

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story
US Track Star Perry Fields
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Alice Walker
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Kathleen O.
Sierra R.
George W. Bush
Amy W.

Dominic S.

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

Robert Buelteman

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

Mela L.

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

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Ben Stiller

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Adrienne N.
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Actress Karen Allen
Thaiadora D.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Thalia
Olivia G.

Rachel H.

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

Kayla D.

Harris County, TX
"It never occurred to me that something else could be going on."
Read Kayla's Story
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Emily S.
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
Jennifer Capriati

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
Peter Sarsgaard
Eddie S.
Erin Walker
Tori Foles

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé'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
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Gerrit van Zijll

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

KÊTA

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

Natalie N.

Lee County, FL
"I'm 22 and living like a hermit... Lyme has taken so much from me."
Read Natalie's Story
Scott A.
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla

Andrew G.

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

Millie G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Millie's Story
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Musician Bill Chinnock

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Christy Turlington
Ruben Lee Sims
Nenah Cherry
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Deanna T.
Richard Gere
Cassidy C.

Kelly W.

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

Louis S.

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

Izabela B.

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

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Amanda K.
Kirstie Alley
Tom Seaver
Danie V.

Phil G.

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

Karine B.

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

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story
Pete Seeger
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Patrick P.

Camille A.

Spouse, mother, and caregiver
"The amount of suffering [from Lyme disease] is inexcusable!"
Read Camille's Story
Tara C.
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Author Holly Chamelli

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella's Story
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Erika S.
Kelly Osbourne
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Susan B.
Crystal Harris
Karl B.
Wendy A.
Yolanda Foster

Katherine H.

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

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Chloe L.
Ryan H.
Chef Kirk Haworth
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Kelsey W.
Author Eric Karlan

Mary Sue A.

Monterey County, CA
"I will do everything in my power to help prevent this disease!"
Read Mary's Story
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Senator Kay Hagan
Legendary crooner José José

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Evan G.
Artist Peter Williams

Briana B.

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

Laure W.

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

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Anwar Hadid

Maisie M.

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

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story
Brooke Landau
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Matthew G.
Lisa V.

Tory C.

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

Emily L.

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

Mary Kate Robertson

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

Dave Skidmore

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

Kari M.

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

Heather F.

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

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Dr. Kristin Honey
Whitfield W.
James D.
Mary-Margaret R.
Melissa M.
Alex H.
Painter John Bramblitt
Author Porochista Khakpour
Lisa N.
Tom J.
Kyle Morton
Justin Bieber
Marisol Thomas

Dana Parish

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

Meghan W.

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

Kris Newby

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

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
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Gregg K.

Brandon W.

Albemarle County, VA
"I hope one day we can find a cure to this terrible disease."
Read Brandon's Story
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Walter H.
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Pro Golfer Gary Player

Michelle M.

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

Shelby A.

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

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Ashley Olsen
Writer David Michael Conner

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

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
Tasha R.
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Adventurer Ray Mears
Dancer Brendan Saye
Avril Lavigne

Christina C.

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

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Hannah O.
Pastor Ramon H.
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Stephanie E.
Nelle F.
Marla Maples
Fontayne F.

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Gabe Magnotta
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Parker Posey
Claire E.
Nancy D.
Amy Tan

Laura H.

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