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.

Melissa M.
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Yolanda Foster
Richard Gere

Camille A.

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

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Lisa N.
Chloe L.
Erin R.

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
Danie V.
James D.
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Author Andrew McGuinness
Elena Delle Donne
Chef Kirk Haworth
Karl B.
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan

Justin M.

Foxboro, MA
"Lyme is truly a debilitating disease, especially for those that can't afford it."
Read Justin's Story
Sierra R.
Christy Turlington
Claire E.
Alice Walker
Sarah N.
Colin M.
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen

Phil G.

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

Heather F.

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

Drew M.

Portola Valley, CA
"I think Lyme most of all is a mental battle."
Read Drew's Story
Tom J.
Author Eric Karlan
Ben Stiller

Ben A.

Long Island, NY
"My healing journey started with antibiotics, but they only provided temporary relief."
Read Ben's Story
Tasha R.
Whitfield W.
Amanda K.

Rachel H.

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

Bart Yasso

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

Mela L.

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

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story
Actress Martine McCutcheon

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
Gerrit van Zijll
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Enid H.

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Senator Kay Hagan
Jane Alexander
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Shania Twain
Rebecca Wells

Mary Sue A.

Monterey County, CA
"I will do everything in my power to help prevent this disease!"
Read Mary's Story
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Adventurer Ray Mears

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

Karine B.

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

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Patrick P.
Ella B.
Breanna R.
Lisa V.
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Musician Bill Chinnock
Cassie M.
Nancy D.
Nenah Cherry

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
Suzanne P.

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Walter H.
Tom Seaver
Parker Posey

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah'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
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Deanna T.
Eddie S.

Briana B.

Butte County, CA
"I am ready to take back my life."
Read Briana's Story
Mary-Margaret R.
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson

Shelby A.

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

KÊTA

Singer/Songwriter
"People need to know. Lyme is the fastest-growing infectious disease in the world!"
Read KÊTA's Story
Calla J.
Runner Robby A.
Kelly Osbourne

Natalie N.

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

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine's Story
Erika S.
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Amy Tan
Olivia G.
Ally Hilfiger

Marc L.

Falmouth, ME
"...do not give up and keep searching until you find a knowledgeable provider..."
Read Marc's Story
Dr. Kristin Honey
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Ruben Lee Sims

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
Justin Bieber
Matthew G.
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Samantha P.

Susie M.

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

Tory C.

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

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
Painter John Bramblitt
Marla Maples

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Kirstie Alley
Nelle F.
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Pop artist Sonali Argade
George W. Bush
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Kathleen Hanna

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Competitive miler Drew Hunter

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein

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

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

Kris Newby

Santa Clara County, CA
"It is unhealthy for a society to use language that blames the victim."
Read Kris's Story
Pastor Ramon H.
Pete Seeger
Cassidy C.
Crystal Harris
Bella Hadid
Sarah M.
Stephanie E.

Dominic S.

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

Melinda B.

Davie, FL
"Lyme disease didn’t knock. It invaded."
Read Melinda's Story
Author Holly Chamelli
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson

Dana Parish

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

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Nikki K.
Kelsey W.

Brooke G.

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

Mark G.

San Diego, CA
"Lyme Disease has been the greatest teacher that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone."
Read Mark's Story

Bella M.

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

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story

Kayla D.

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

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt's Story
Hannah O.
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Davis B.

Louis S.

San Mateo County, CA
"My mom says she remembers the day my personality came back."
Read Louis's Story
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Soccer star Karel Poborsky

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story
Avril Lavigne
Thaiadora D.
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Olympian Christie Rampone
Kris Kristofferson

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
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Adrienne N.
Jennifer Capriati

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Tara C.
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Musician Elijah Blue Allman

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
"I am doing ok."
Read Laura's Story
Nicole K.
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Singer Marina Morgan

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
US Track Star Perry Fields

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Brooke Landau
Stephanie S.

Milena G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Milena's Story
Legendary crooner José José
Tori Foles

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story
Writer David Michael Conner
Marisol Thomas
Lindsay B.
Peter Sarsgaard
Jocelyne B.
Kathleen O.

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
Author Porochista Khakpour
Emily S.

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
Sharon W.
Anwar Hadid
Ashley Olsen
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Actress Karen Allen

Brandon W.

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

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Gabe Magnotta
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Kyle Morton
Grace W.

Michelle T.

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

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
Melissa D.
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Wendy A.
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle

Triathlete Angela Naeth

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

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
Susan B.
Artist Peter Williams

Jessica S.

Dalton, GA
"I’ve learned that healing is not just physical. It’s emotional, mental, and spiritual."
Read Jessica's Story

Christina C.

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

Alan B.

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

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
Gregg K.
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.

Olivia A.

New York, NY
"I truly believe we can live in a world free of tick-borne illnesses"
Read Olivia's Story
Amy W.

Michelle M.

Suffolk County, NY
"If I was ever going to get better, I had to be my own advocate."
Read Michelle's Story
Olivia S.
Dancer Brendan Saye
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn