Ticks and Lyme disease are far too common and not at all discriminating. There are over 329,000 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 Martine McCutcheon
Elena Delle Donne
Kathleen Hanna
Erin Walker

Blair B.

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

Shona C.

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

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Gabe Magnotta
Eddie S.
Tasha R.
US Track Star Perry Fields
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Gerrit van Zijll
Parker Posey
Stephanie S.

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
Thaiadora D.
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Hannah O.
Lisa N.
Adrienne N.
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Ally Hilfiger
Chloe L.
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Tara C.
Ella B.
Rocker Dave Mustaine

Christina C.

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

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Soccer star Karel Poborsky

Trae V.

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

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

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Reality TV star Irene McGee

Laura H.

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

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella's Story
Kelsey W.
Kyle Morton

Rachel H.

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

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Kathleen O.
Author Holly Chamelli
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Kelly Osbourne
Sharon W.

Louis S.

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

Mark Dawson

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

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Amy W.
BBC Reporter Allan Little
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Nenah Cherry
George W. Bush
Evan G.

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

Dana Parish

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

Katherine H.

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

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Erin R.
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Musician Bill Chinnock

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
Artist Peter Williams

Angeli Vanlaanen

Professional Freeskiier
"My story of going years undiagnosed is all too common."
Read Angeli's Story
Alex H.
Brooke Landau
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
Grace W.
Emily S.
Justin Bieber
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Painter John Bramblitt
Ashley Olsen

Shelby A.

Butte County, CA
"My hope is that one day Lyme disease will be treated quickly and correctly…"
Read Shelby's Story
Jocelyne B.
Alice Walker
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Dr. Kristin Honey
Singer Marina Morgan

Mary Sue A.

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle'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

Heather F.

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

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story
Rebecca Wells
Avril Lavigne
Davis B.
Olympian Kristen Sweetland

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Debbie Gibson
Tori Foles
Sarah N.
Jennifer Capriati
Runner Robby A.
Marla Maples
Mary-Margaret R.
Actress Karen Allen
Pete Seeger
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Olivia S.
Olivia G.
Writer David Michael Conner
Kris Kristofferson
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Melissa M.
Samantha P.

Lia G.

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

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Tessa Wallace
Lindsay B.
Legendary crooner José José

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé'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
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Ryan H.
Erika S.
Melissa D.

Alan B.

Middlesex County, MA
"At some point, we will all be liberated from this nightmare."
Read Alan's Story
Cassie M.
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Olympian Christie Rampone
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Senator Kay Hagan
James D.
Chef Kirk Haworth

Maisie M.

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

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
Kirstie Alley
Karl B.
Deanna T.

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story
Ben Stiller
Bella Hadid
Pastor Ramon H.
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Yolanda Foster

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
Author Porochista Khakpour
Fontayne F.
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Breanna R.
Cassidy C.

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Tom Seaver

Jenn B.

Alameda County, CA
"I hope this account of my struggle helps educate the public and enlighten medical professionals."
Read Jenn's Story
Ruben Lee Sims
Author Andrew McGuinness

Kayla D.

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

Briana B.

Butte County, CA
"I am ready to take back my life."
Read Briana's Story
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla

Michelle M.

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

Jonathan L.

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

Brandon W.

Albemarle County, VA
"I hope one day we can find a cure to this terrible disease."
Read Brandon's Story
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Crystal Harris
Stephanie E.
Lisa V.

Mary Kate Robertson

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

Tory C.

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

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
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Shania Twain
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Wendy A.

Natalie N.

Lee County, FL
"I'm 22 and living like a hermit... Lyme has taken so much from me."
Read Natalie's Story
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Christy Turlington
Claire E.

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Peter Sarsgaard
Marisol Thomas

Kevin S.

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

KÊTA

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

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story
Whitfield W.
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Author Eric Karlan

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story
Jane Alexander

Sarah H.

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

David D.

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

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan

Camille A.

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

Laure W.

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

Karine B.

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

Robert Buelteman

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