Ticks and Lyme disease are far too common and not at all discriminating. There are over 400,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year in the US 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.

Actress Karen Allen

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
Patrick P.
Deanna T.
Singer Marina Morgan

Kelly W.

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

Sarah D.

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

Matt Dawson

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

Natalie N.

Lee County, FL
"I'm 22 and living like a hermit... Lyme has taken so much from me."
Read Natalie's Story
Samantha P.
Justin Bieber
Cassidy C.
Evan G.
Nelle F.

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
Lisa V.
Ashley Olsen
Davis B.
Author Porochista Khakpour
Ally Hilfiger
Author Eric Karlan
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
Melissa M.
Matthew G.
US Track Star Perry Fields
Thaiadora D.

Kayla D.

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

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather'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
Alex H.
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver

Camille A.

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

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Olivia G.
Elena Delle Donne
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Sharon W.
Tara C.
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala'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
Cassie M.
Hannah O.

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
Pastor Ramon H.
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Stephanie E.
Claire E.

Katherine H.

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

Kevin S.

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

Bella M.

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

Laura H.

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

Briana B.

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

Jonathan L.

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

Karine B.

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

Brandon W.

Albemarle County, VA
"I hope one day we can find a cure to this terrible disease."
Read Brandon'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
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Writer David Michael Conner
Tori Foles
Thalia
Gregg K.

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

Emily L.

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Grace W.
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Whitfield W.
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Boxer Mikkel Kessler

Tory C.

Sonoma County, CA
"I will fight this disease and I will get my life back! "
Read Tory's Story
Shania Twain
Marisol Thomas
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Dr. Kristin Honey
Nenah Cherry

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
Peter Sarsgaard
Chef Kirk Haworth
Senator Kay Hagan
Brooke Landau

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Ella B.
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Amy W.
Fontayne F.
Sarah N.
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Nicole K.
Jocelyne B.
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Nikki K.
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Chloe L.

KÊTA

Singer/Songwriter
"People need to know. Lyme is the fastest-growing infectious disease in the world!"
Read KÊTA's Story
Amanda K.
Ruben Lee Sims
Rebecca Wells
Christy Turlington

David D.

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

Susie M.

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

Alan B.

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

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Jennifer Capriati
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Olympian Christie Rampone
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Nancy D.

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben

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
Lindsay B.

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Author Holly Chamelli
Kathleen Hanna
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Erika S.
Stephanie S.
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Lisa N.
Ink Master Geary Morrill
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.

Marjorie H.

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

Alix M.

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

Shelby A.

Butte County, CA
"My hope is that one day Lyme disease will be treated quickly and correctly…"
Read Shelby's Story
Tom J.
Susan B.
Author Andrew McGuinness
Sarah M.
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Olivia S.
Walter H.
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Adrienne N.
Kirstie Alley
Ben Stiller
Debbie Gibson
Melissa D.
Erin R.
Alice Walker
Avril Lavigne

Sarah H.

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

Louis S.

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

Jenn B.

Alameda County, CA
"I hope my struggle helps educate the public and enlighten medical professionals."
Read Jenn's Story
Ryan H.
Sierra R.
Jane Alexander
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Anwar Hadid
Amy Tan
Yolanda Foster

Maisie M.

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

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Marla Maples
Kyle Morton
Bella Hadid
Kris Kristofferson
Tasha R.
Legendary crooner José José

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé's Story
Breanna R.
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein

Triathlete Angela Naeth

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

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
RHONY star Ramona Singer
James D.
Artist Peter Williams
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story
Tessa Wallace
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Mary-Margaret R.

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
Scott A.

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Colin M.
Suzanne P.
Enid H.

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
Calla J.
Erin Walker
George W. Bush
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Musician Bill Chinnock

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Gabe Magnotta
Parker Posey

Brooke G.

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

Mary Sue A.

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

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Kelly Osbourne
Eddie S.
Gerrit van Zijll
Nichola M.

Izabela B.

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

Christina C.

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

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Painter John Bramblitt
Kathleen O.
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Kelsey W.

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