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.

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Anwar Hadid
Tasha R.
Rebecca Wells
US Track Star Perry Fields
Amy W.

Andrew G.

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

Marjorie H.

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

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

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
Stephanie S.
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Author Andrew McGuinness
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Calla J.
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Chloe L.
Congressman Berkley Bedell
Parker Posey

Phil G.

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

Michelle M.

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

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
Rocker Dave Mustaine
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Elena Delle Donne
Melissa D.

Izabela B.

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

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Kathleen O.
Amy Tan
Fontayne F.
Shania Twain
Gregg K.

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
""I am doing ok.""
Read Laura's Story
Eddie S.
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Bella Hadid

Mary Sue A.

Monterey County, CA
"I will do everything in my power to help prevent this disease!"
Read Mary's Story
Ruben Lee Sims
Gabe Magnotta
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Olivia G.
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Amanda K.
Olympian Christie Rampone
Hannah O.
Kathleen Hanna
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
RHONY star Ramona Singer

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
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson

Camille A.

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

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Legendary crooner José José

Allie C.

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

Trae V.

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

Louis S.

San Mateo County, CA
"My mom says she remembers the day my personality came back."
Read Louis's Story
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur

Kayla D.

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

Daryl Hall

Musician, Hall & Oates
"People don't understand. Lyme disease is serious stuff."
Read Daryl's Story
Sierra R.
Kelly Osbourne
Enid H.
Grace W.

Kevin S.

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

Bella M.

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Nancy D.

KÊTA

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

Esmé Weijun Wang

San Francisco County, CA
"I'm chronically ill and afraid of being lazy."
Read Esmé's Story
Adventurer Ray Mears
Kelsey W.
Evan G.
Richard Gere

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 Jordan Fisher Smith
Peter Sarsgaard

Matt Dawson

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

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story
Samantha P.
Ashley Olsen
Author Eric Karlan
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Matthew G.
Colin M.
Danie V.
Kris Kristofferson
Jane Alexander

Mary Kate Robertson

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

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Musician Bill Chinnock
Marisol Thomas
Brooke Landau
Sarah N.

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story
Mary-Margaret R.
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Jocelyne B.

Tory C.

Sonoma County, CA
"I will fight this disease and I will get my life back! "
Read Tory's Story
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly

Angeli Vanlaanen

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

Kari M.

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

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Painter John Bramblitt
Marla Maples
Kirstie Alley
Writer David Michael Conner

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine's Story
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Adrienne N.
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Dancer Brendan Saye
Susan B.

Jenn B.

Alameda County, CA
"I hope my struggle helps educate the public and enlighten medical professionals."
Read Jenn's Story
Actress Karen Allen
Lindsay B.
Suzanne P.
Pastor Ramon H.

Brandon W.

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

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
Claire E.
Ally Hilfiger
Debbie Gibson
Erin R.
Sharon W.
Ben Stiller
Tom J.
Sarah M.
Breanna R.
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Christy Turlington

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Stephanie E.
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Singer Marina Morgan

Susie M.

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

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Emily S.

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Wendy A.
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
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
BBC Reporter Allan Little

Alan B.

Middlesex County, MA
"At some point, we will all be liberated from this nightmare."
Read Alan's Story
Whitfield W.
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Lisa V.

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Tori Foles
Nicole K.
Tom Seaver
Erika S.
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Gerrit van Zijll
Ella B.

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Artist Peter Williams
Karl B.
Olivia S.
Deanna T.
Nichola 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

Bart Yasso

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

Briana B.

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

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
Nelle F.
Tara C.
Jennifer Capriati
Kyle Morton
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Melissa M.

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
Chef Kirk Haworth
Davis B.

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Comedian Akilah Hughes

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete'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
George W. Bush
Nenah Cherry
Erin Walker
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Walter H.
Scott A.

Laure W.

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

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story
Crystal Harris
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Thaiadora D.
Tessa Wallace
Author Porochista Khakpour
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Runner Robby A.
Dr. Kristin Honey

Shelby A.

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

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
Lisa N.
Yolanda Foster

Maisie M.

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

Christina C.

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