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.

Pro Golfer Gary Player
Author Holly Chamelli
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker

Louis S.

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

Mary Kate Robertson

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

Kayla D.

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

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé's Story
Dancer Brendan Saye
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Christy Turlington
Writer David Michael Conner
Emily S.
Fontayne F.
Entrepreneur John Caudwell

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Nelle F.
Sharon W.
Ruben Lee Sims
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Walter H.
James D.
Scott A.
Davis B.

Camille A.

Spouse, mother, and caregiver
"The amount of suffering [from Lyme disease] is inexcusable!"
Read Camille's Story
Chef Kirk Haworth
Whitfield W.
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Wendy A.
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn

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

KÊTA

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

Kelly W.

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

Alan B.

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

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

Triathlete Angela Naeth

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

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Tasha R.
Kyle Morton

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Tara C.
Amanda K.
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Hannah O.
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Olivia G.
Kris Kristofferson
Calla J.
US Track Star Perry Fields
Evan G.
Danie V.
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Colin M.

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
Richard Gere
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Karl B.

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Breanna R.

Mary Sue A.

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

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
Ben Stiller
Chloe L.

Andrew G.

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

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

Briana B.

Butte County, CA
"I am ready to take back my life."
Read Briana's Story
Erin Walker
Nichola M.
Cassidy C.
Rebecca Wells

Millie G.

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

Blair B.

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

Daryl Hall

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

Robert Buelteman

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

Maisie M.

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

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story
Legendary crooner José José
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke

Laure W.

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

Christina C.

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

Natalie N.

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

Jenn B.

Alameda County, CA
"I hope my struggle helps educate the public and enlighten medical professionals."
Read Jenn's Story
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Amy W.
Eddie S.
Anwar Hadid
Artist Peter Williams
Lisa V.
Erika S.
Yolanda Foster
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Brooke Landau
George W. Bush
Ryan H.

Kris Newby

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

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Samantha P.
Gerrit van Zijll
Nicole K.
Gregg K.
Senator Kay Hagan
Jennifer Capriati
Olivia S.

Susie M.

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

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Sarah N.
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Stephanie S.

Marjorie H.

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

Bart Yasso

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

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Melissa D.
Susan B.
Kathleen O.

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
Dr. Kristin Honey
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Marisol Thomas
Ashley Olsen
Cassie M.
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Amy Tan
Kirstie Alley
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese

Kari M.

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

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Elena Delle Donne
Olympian Christie Rampone
Ella B.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Crystal Harris
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Author Eric Karlan
Thalia
Nikki K.
Claire E.
Sierra R.

Shelby A.

Butte County, CA
"My hope is that one day Lyme disease will be treated quickly and correctly…"
Read Shelby's Story
Stephanie E.
Justin Bieber
Author Andrew McGuinness

Brandon W.

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

Brooke G.

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

Phil G.

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

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella's Story
Gabe Magnotta
Debbie Gibson

Trae V.

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

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
""I am doing ok.""
Read Laura's Story
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Peter Sarsgaard
Jocelyne B.
Pastor Ramon H.
Mary-Margaret R.
Nancy D.
Suzanne P.
Boxer Mikkel Kessler

Tory C.

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

Mela L.

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

Jonathan L.

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

Kevin S.

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

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine'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
Tom J.
Alex H.

Alix M.

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

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
Ally Hilfiger
Melissa M.

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story
Actress Karen Allen
Shania Twain
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Musician Bill Chinnock

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Parker Posey
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Runner Robby A.

Allie C.

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

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt's Story
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Erin R.
Marla Maples
Deanna T.
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Kelsey W.
Lisa N.
Kathleen Hanna
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller

Dana Parish

Singer Songwriter
"I had the CDC-recommended 21 days of Doxy... I fully believed I'd be okay."
Read Dana's Story
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Tom Seaver

Dominic S.

Groningen, Netherlands
"Lyme Disease is real, it isn’t a joke."
Read Dominic's Story
Olympian Kristen Sweetland

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Bella Hadid