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.

Colin M.
Claire E.

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Sharon W.
Artist Peter Williams
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Legendary crooner José José
Soccer star Karel Poborsky

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
Nenah Cherry
Debbie Gibson
Tessa Wallace

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

Louis S.

San Mateo County, CA
"My mom says she remembers the day my personality came back."
Read Louis's Story
Erin Walker
Tori Foles
Erika S.

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Jocelyne B.
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Brooke Landau
Nicole K.
Grace W.
Nancy D.
Lindsay B.
George W. Bush
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
Painter John Bramblitt
Davis B.
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Bella Hadid

Michelle M.

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

Mary Sue A.

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

Alix M.

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

Matt Dawson

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

Kayla D.

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

Shymala H.

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

Sarah D.

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

Seth D.

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

Millie G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Millie's Story
Suzanne P.
Dr. Kristin Honey
Sarah N.
Karl B.
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
US Track Star Perry Fields
Kelsey W.
Enid H.

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Eddie S.
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer

Triathlete Angela Naeth

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

Camille A.

Spouse, mother, and caregiver
"The amount of suffering [from Lyme disease] is inexcusable!"
Read Camille's Story
Actress Karen Allen
Yolanda Foster

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Musician Bill Chinnock
Avril Lavigne
Author Eric Karlan
Chloe L.
Ella B.
Kris Kristofferson
Kyle Morton

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story
Gerrit van Zijll
Hannah O.
Ashley Olsen
Whitfield W.

KÊTA

Singer/Songwriter
"People need to know. Lyme is the fastest-growing infectious disease in the world!"
Read KÊTA's Story
Cassie M.
Stephanie S.
Calla J.
Olympian Christie Rampone

Andrew G.

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

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Gabe Magnotta
Kirstie Alley
Dancer Brendan Saye
Susan B.
Olivia G.

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 Lukas Bengtsson
Matthew G.

Dana Parish

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

Daryl Hall

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

Brandon W.

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

Bella M.

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

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Peter Sarsgaard
Sierra R.
Erin R.
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn

Briana B.

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

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé's Story
Author Holly Chamelli
Nelle F.
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Rebecca Wells
Shania Twain

Meghan W.

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

Karine B.

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

Alan B.

Middlesex County, MA
"At some point, we will all be liberated from this nightmare."
Read Alan's Story
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Samantha P.
James D.
Nikki K.
Parker Posey
Ruben Lee Sims
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Congressman Berkley Bedell

Robert Buelteman

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

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Wendy A.
Evan G.
Chef Kirk Haworth
Jane Alexander
Emily S.
Tom Seaver
Kathleen O.
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Lisa V.
Melissa M.
Danie V.
Singer Marina Morgan
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Deanna T.

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie'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

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Jennifer Capriati
Richard Gere
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Tara C.
Pastor Ramon H.

Dominic S.

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

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Scott A.

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle'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
Marla Maples
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
Kelly Osbourne

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Senator Kay Hagan
Justin Bieber

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae'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
Cassidy C.
Lisa N.
Writer David Michael Conner
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Fontayne F.

Phil G.

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

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Ben Stiller
Gregg K.
Runner Robby A.

Laure W.

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

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Sarah M.

Heather F.

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

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

Natalie N.

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

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
Amy Tan
Thaiadora D.
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Tasha R.
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Patrick P.
Author Andrew McGuinness
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker

Christina C.

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

Jenn B.

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

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story
Alex H.
Melissa D.

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

Tory C.

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

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
""I am doing ok.""
Read Laura's Story
Marisol Thomas
Elena Delle Donne

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine'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
Anwar Hadid
Pete Seeger

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Adventurer Ray Mears
Author Porochista Khakpour