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.

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Nancy D.
Chloe L.

Sarah H.

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

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Lisa V.
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Dr. Kristin Honey
Comedian Akilah Hughes

Brooke G.

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

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Brooke Landau
Competitive miler Drew Hunter

Camille A.

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

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Danie V.

Michelle M.

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

Susie M.

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

Louis S.

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

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Gabe Magnotta
Whitfield W.
Author Eric Karlan
Emily S.
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Erika S.
Erin Walker

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Susan B.
Senator Kay Hagan
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Tessa Wallace
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein

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

Kayla D.

Harris County, TX
"It never occurred to me that something else could be going on."
Read Kayla's Story
Actress Karen Allen
Reality TV star Irene McGee
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Pastor Ramon H.

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt'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
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Pete Seeger
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Marla Maples
Olivia S.
Ashley Olsen
Ryan H.
Amy Tan
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson

Shymala H.

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

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Cassie M.
James D.

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
Alice Walker
Gerrit van Zijll

Mary Sue A.

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

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Maisie M.

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

Dana Parish

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

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
Author Andrew McGuinness
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Amy W.
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Author Porochista Khakpour

Bella M.

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

Briana B.

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

Jonathan L.

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

Marjorie H.

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

Milena G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Milena's Story
Lindsay B.
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Shania Twain
Thalia
Runner Robby A.

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
US Track Star Perry Fields
Patrick P.
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Eddie S.

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
Sarah N.
Stephanie S.
Claire E.

Justin M.

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

Trae V.

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

Karine B.

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

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
Singer Marina Morgan

Emily L.

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

Kris Newby

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

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
Congressman Berkley Bedell

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
"I am doing ok."
Read Laura's Story
Thaiadora D.
Jennifer Capriati

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story
Ink Master Geary Morrill
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Marisol Thomas
Elena Delle Donne
Suzanne P.
Christy Turlington
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Tasha R.

Katherine H.

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

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Ally Hilfiger
Wendy A.
Richard Gere
Peter Sarsgaard
Olivia G.

Shelby A.

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Tom Seaver
Adrienne N.
Nelle F.

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Sarah M.
Melissa M.

Drew M.

Portola Valley, CA
"I think Lyme most of all is a mental battle."
Read Drew's Story
Karl B.
Mary-Margaret R.
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Davis B.
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Painter John Bramblitt
Breanna R.
Erin R.
Nicole K.
Sharon W.

Ben A.

Long Island, NY
"My healing journey started with antibiotics, but they only provided temporary relief."
Read Ben's Story
Colin M.
Tara C.
Rebecca Wells
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Matthew G.
Samantha P.
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona'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
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Olympian Christie Rampone
UFC fighter Jim Miller

Alan B.

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

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
Cassidy C.
Debbie Gibson
Yolanda Foster
Kelsey W.
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly

KÊTA

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

Izabela B.

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

Laure W.

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

Tory C.

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

Heather F.

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

Dominic S.

Groningen, Netherlands
"Lyme Disease is real, it isn’t a joke."
Read Dominic's Story
Adventurer Ray Mears
Writer David Michael Conner
Anwar Hadid
Nenah Cherry
Justin Bieber
Jane Alexander
Crystal Harris

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
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Kathleen Hanna
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Amanda K.
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Bella Hadid

Brandon W.

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

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
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Musician Bill Chinnock
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Nikki K.
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Nichola M.
Hannah O.
Evan G.

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

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

Mark G.

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

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story
Deanna T.

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
Avril Lavigne
Jocelyne B.
Grace W.
Author Holly Chamelli

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

Christina C.

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

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
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Chef Kirk Haworth
Artist Peter Williams
Kris Kristofferson