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.

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
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Karl B.

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
Pete Seeger
Jane Alexander

Brandon W.

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

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story
Lisa N.
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young

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

Allie C.

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Senator Kay Hagan
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Susan B.
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Calla J.
Matthew G.

KÊTA

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

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
Patrick P.

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

Milena G.

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

Mary Sue A.

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

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
Sarah N.
Melissa D.
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Cassidy C.
Painter John Bramblitt
Stephanie E.
Lisa V.
Wendy A.
Scott A.

David D.

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

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story
Nichola M.
Avril Lavigne
Chloe L.
Olivia S.
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Claire E.

Mark G.

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

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Dr. Kristin Honey
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
Whitfield W.
Chef Kirk Haworth
George W. Bush
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein

Kelly W.

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

Marjorie H.

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

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

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story
Anwar Hadid
James D.
Danie V.
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis

Seth D.

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

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Davis B.
Ella B.
Nancy D.
Erin R.
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle

Christina C.

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

Triathlete Angela Naeth

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

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver

Kayla D.

Harris County, TX
"It never occurred to me that something else could be going on."
Read Kayla's Story
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Author Eric Karlan
Gerrit van Zijll
Kathleen O.

Sarah D.

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

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Rachel H.

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

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella's Story
Kathleen Hanna
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Amy W.
Amanda K.
Sarah M.
Enid H.
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Nelle F.
Sharon W.
Rebecca Wells
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Ink Master Geary Morrill

Daryl Hall

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

Tory C.

Sonoma County, CA
"I will fight this disease and I will get my life back! "
Read Tory's Story
Grace W.
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Tom J.
Colin M.
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Adrienne N.
Writer David Michael Conner

Justin M.

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

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

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
Sierra R.
Author Andrew McGuinness
Erika S.
Olympian Christie Rampone

Dave Skidmore

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

Dominic S.

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

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

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
Stephanie S.
Author Jordan Fisher Smith

Shelby A.

Butte County, CA
"My hope is that one day Lyme disease will be treated quickly and correctly…"
Read Shelby's Story
Tori Foles
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Yolanda Foster
Richard Gere
Elena Delle Donne

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
Author Holly Chamelli
Ruben Lee Sims

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Suzanne P.
Christy Turlington
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Jocelyne B.

Ben A.

Long Island, NY
"My healing journey started with antibiotics, but they only provided temporary relief."
Read Ben's Story
Singer Marina Morgan
Erin Walker
Melissa M.

Michelle M.

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

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

Laura H.

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

Alix M.

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

Dana Parish

Singer Songwriter
"I had the CDC-recommended 21 days of Doxy... I fully believed I'd be okay."
Read Dana's Story
Kris Kristofferson
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Artist Peter Williams
Cassie M.

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

Izabela B.

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

Melinda B.

Davie, FL
"Lyme disease didn’t knock. It invaded."
Read Melinda's Story

Katherine H.

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

Drew M.

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

Matt Dawson

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

Kari M.

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

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller

Olivia A.

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

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Actress Karen Allen
Fontayne F.
Bella Hadid

Jessica S.

Dalton, GA
"I’ve learned that healing is not just physical. It’s emotional, mental, and spiritual."
Read Jessica's Story
Thaiadora D.
Runner Robby A.
Dancer Brendan Saye
Brooke Landau
Eddie S.
Emily S.
Alice Walker

Briana B.

Butte County, CA
"I am ready to take back my life."
Read Briana's Story
Deanna T.
Ben Stiller
Tessa Wallace
Walter H.
Peter Sarsgaard
Nikki K.
Kelly Osbourne
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Nicole K.
Jennifer Capriati

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
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Kirstie Alley
Lindsay B.
Congressman Berkley Bedell

Camille A.

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

Natalie N.

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

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan'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
Ashley Olsen

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Justin Bieber
Adventurer Ray Mears
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly

Robert Buelteman

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

Shona C.

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

Marc L.

Falmouth, ME
"...do not give up and keep searching until you find a knowledgeable provider..."
Read Marc's Story
Ryan H.
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Author Porochista Khakpour
Rocker Dave Mustaine
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Musician Bill Chinnock
Gregg K.
Samantha P.
Kyle Morton
Marla Maples

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
Crystal Harris
Amy Tan
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Nenah Cherry
Olivia G.
Thalia
US Track Star Perry Fields

Alan B.

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

Kevin S.

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

Blair B.

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

Mela L.

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

Susie M.

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

Sarah H.

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