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.

Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Amy W.
Suzanne P.
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Matthew G.
Tori Foles
Mary-Margaret R.
Cassie M.

Bart Yasso

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

Briana B.

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

Triathlete Angela Naeth

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

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

Kayla D.

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

Brandon W.

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

Kelly W.

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

Ben A.

Long Island, NY
"My healing journey started with antibiotics, but they only provided temporary relief."
Read Ben's Story
Avril Lavigne
Whitfield W.
Shania Twain
Legendary crooner José José
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Nichola M.
Actress Karen Allen
Kathleen O.
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Ink Master Geary Morrill
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver

Kris Newby

Santa Clara County, CA
"It is unhealthy for a society to use language that blames the victim."
Read Kris's Story
Senator Kay Hagan

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan'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
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Elena Delle Donne
Melissa D.

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
"I am doing ok."
Read Laura's Story
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Kris Kristofferson

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

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
Fontayne F.
Ruben Lee Sims
Gabe Magnotta
Tara C.

Louis S.

San Mateo County, CA
"My mom says she remembers the day my personality came back."
Read Louis'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
Pete Seeger
James D.

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
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson

Heather F.

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

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Christy Turlington
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Sierra R.
Patrick P.
Olympian Kristen Sweetland

Michelle M.

Suffolk County, NY
"If I was ever going to get better, I had to be my own advocate."
Read Michelle's Story
Peter Sarsgaard
Entrepreneur John Caudwell

Tory C.

Sonoma County, CA
"I will fight this disease and I will get my life back! "
Read Tory's Story
Ella B.
Singer Marina Morgan
Claire E.
Ryan H.
Colin M.
Lisa N.
Adrienne N.

Emily L.

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

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé's Story
Thaiadora D.
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Kelsey W.

Dave Skidmore

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

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella'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
Yolanda Foster
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
Gerrit van Zijll
Thalia
Ally Hilfiger
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
Pastor Ramon H.
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Chef Kirk Haworth
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Dancer Brendan Saye

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Chloe L.
Nikki K.
Jennifer Capriati
UFC fighter Jim Miller
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Painter John Bramblitt
Sarah M.
Melissa M.
Hannah O.

Milena G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Milena's Story
Jocelyne B.
Ashley Olsen
Erin R.

Robert Buelteman

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

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story
Kirstie Alley
US Track Star Perry Fields

Seth D.

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Sharon W.
Comedian Akilah Hughes
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Susan B.
Lisa V.
Anwar Hadid
Parker Posey
Richard Gere
Evan G.
Bella Hadid
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Author Porochista Khakpour
Tom J.
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Breanna R.
Pro Golfer Gary Player
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Erin Walker

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
Nenah Cherry
Grace W.
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Netflix star Talia Jackson

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
Deanna T.
Calla J.
Wendy A.

Andrew G.

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

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Nancy D.

Angeli Vanlaanen

Professional Freeskiier
"My story of going years undiagnosed is all too common."
Read Angeli's Story
Amy Tan
Writer David Michael Conner
Kelly Osbourne

KÊTA

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

Brooke G.

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

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Tom Seaver
Musician Bill Chinnock
Alice Walker
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Scott A.

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
Olivia S.

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
Runner Robby A.
Enid H.
Marla Maples

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Samantha P.
Author Eric Karlan
Marisol Thomas

David D.

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

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Author Andrew McGuinness
Dr. Kristin Honey
Tasha R.
Rebecca Wells
Lindsay B.
Justin Bieber

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.
Erika S.

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

Alan B.

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

Dana Parish

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

Karine B.

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

Blair B.

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

Dominic S.

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

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Brooke Landau
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.

Katherine H.

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

Susie M.

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

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
Stephanie E.
Artist Peter Williams
Olympian Christie Rampone

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Amanda K.

Christina C.

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

Camille A.

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

Kevin S.

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

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn

Allie C.

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

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

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

Matt Dawson

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

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Author Holly Chamelli
Walter H.

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Crystal Harris
Ben Stiller
Jane Alexander

Daryl Hall

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

Mary Sue A.

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

Drew M.

Portola Valley, CA
"I think Lyme most of all is a mental battle."
Read Drew's Story
Nicole K.
Emily S.

Alix M.

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

Justin M.

Foxboro, MA
"Lyme is truly a debilitating disease, especially for those that can't afford it."
Read Justin's Story
Sarah N.
Cassidy C.
Stephanie S.