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.

Stephanie S.

Kari M.

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

Mary Sue A.

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

Bella M.

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

Kayla D.

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

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix'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
Erin Walker
Susan B.

Robert Buelteman

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

Mela L.

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

Briana B.

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

Bart Yasso

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

Brandon W.

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

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Eddie S.
Actress Karen Allen
Calla J.

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Author Andrew McGuinness
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Melissa M.

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Tara C.
Bella Hadid
Kelsey W.

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

Karine B.

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

Laura H.

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

Maisie M.

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

Sarah D.

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

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Crystal Harris

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Gerrit van Zijll
Whitfield W.
Author Jordan Fisher Smith

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

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
Jennifer Capriati
Senator Kay Hagan
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Stephanie E.
Parker Posey

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Ella B.
Melissa D.
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Scott A.
Amy W.
Lindsay B.
Wendy A.

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
Legendary crooner José José
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story
Thaiadora D.
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Tasha R.
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Matthew G.

Christina C.

Alameda County, CA
"Many people know very little about Lyme. I'm going to change that."
Read Christina's Story
Chef Kirk Haworth
Tom Seaver
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Nikki K.
Alex H.
Grace W.
Dr. Kristin Honey

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Jocelyne B.
Artist Peter Williams
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Tori Foles

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Runner Robby A.
Pop artist Sonali Argade

Angeli Vanlaanen

Professional Freeskiier
"My story of going years undiagnosed is all too common."
Read Angeli's Story
Brooke Landau
Lisa N.
Sharon W.

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Erika S.

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-Margaret R.
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein

Shelby A.

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

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt's Story
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Breanna R.

Dana Parish

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

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

Camille A.

Spouse, mother, and caregiver
"The amount of suffering [from Lyme disease] is inexcusable!"
Read Camille's Story
Marla Maples
Amanda K.
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Richard Gere

Millie G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Millie's Story

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story
Author Holly Chamelli
Pastor Ramon H.
Sarah N.
Adrienne N.
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Gabe Magnotta
Fontayne F.
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé's Story
Yolanda Foster
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn

KÊTA

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

Katherine H.

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

Louis S.

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

Michelle T.

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

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
Nicole K.

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Lisa V.
US Track Star Perry Fields
Walter H.
Elena Delle Donne
Ben Stiller
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves

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
James D.
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Sarah M.
Kathleen O.
Davis B.
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Danie V.
Jane Alexander
Soccer star Karel Poborsky

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
Cassie M.
Musician Bill Chinnock
Nelle F.
Kelly Osbourne
Ally Hilfiger

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Peter Sarsgaard
Olivia G.
Anwar Hadid
Christy Turlington
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Olivia S.

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
Pete Seeger
Tessa Wallace

Lia G.

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

Michelle M.

Suffolk County, NY
"If I was ever going to get better, I had to be my own advocate."
Read Michelle's Story
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Author Porochista Khakpour

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
Patrick P.
Actress Martine McCutcheon
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Ruben Lee Sims
Cassidy C.

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
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese

Natalie N.

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

Dave Skidmore

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

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Adventurer Ray Mears
Singer Marina Morgan
Suzanne P.
Avril Lavigne
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Kris Kristofferson
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla

Rachel H.

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

Dominic S.

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

Marjorie H.

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

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
George W. Bush
Debbie Gibson
Writer David Michael Conner
Deanna T.

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Ashley Olsen
Painter John Bramblitt
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Samantha P.

Alan B.

Middlesex County, MA
"At some point, we will all be liberated from this nightmare."
Read Alan's Story
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Kirstie Alley
Amy Tan
Gregg K.

Tory C.

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

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Olympian Christie Rampone
Hannah O.

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story
Nancy D.
Thalia
Sierra R.