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.

Ella B.
Musician Bill Chinnock
Fontayne F.
Fontayne F.
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Michelle T.

Michelle T.

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

Mary Sue A.

Monterey County, CA
"I will do everything in my power to help prevent this disease!"
Read Mary's Story
Kelsey W.
Bella Hadid
Stephanie S.

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story
Amy Tan
Amy Tan
Ashley Olsen
Marisol Thomas
Dr. Kristin Honey
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Kyla C.

San Mateo County, CA
"Don't give up. You are not alone."
Read Kyla'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
Erin R.
Rocker Dave Mustaine
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Jocelyne B.
Courtesy of Independent Sports News
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Avril Lavigne
Stephanie E.

Alan B.

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

Bella M.

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

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Ink Master Geary Morrill

Marjorie H.

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

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Whitfield W.
Actress Karen Allen
Shania Twain
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben

Bart Yasso

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

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
Olivia G.

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Hannah O.
Artist Peter Williams
Lisa N.
Gretchen Carlson
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Ryan H.

Kayla D.

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

Kevin S.

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

Emily Levy

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

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
Kirstie Alley
Thalia
Thalia

Phil G.

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

Tory C.

Sonoma County, CA
"I will fight this disease and I will get my life back! "
Read Tory's Story
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Crystal Harris
Gregg K.
Gabe Magnotta

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen

Christina C.

Alameda County, CA
"Many people know very little about Lyme. I'm going to change that."
Read Christina's Story
BBC Reporter Allan Little
Author Porochista Khakpour
Grace W.
Scott A.
Scott A.
Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
Eddie S.
Cassidy C.
Davis B.
Louis S

Louis S.

San Mateo County, CA
"My mom says she remembers the day my personality came back."
Read Louis's Story
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Marla Maples
Actress Martine McCutcheon
Jennifer Capriati
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Painter John Bramblitt
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Claire E.
Author Eric Karlan
Tessa Wallace
Tessa Wallace

Brandon W.

Albemarle County, VA
"I hope one day we can find a cure to this terrible disease."
Read Brandon'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
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Karl B.

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
Angeli Vanlaanen

Angeli Vanlaanen

Professional Freeskiier
"My story of going years undiagnosed is all too common."
Read Angeli's Story
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Brooke Landau
Brooke Landau
Reality TV star Irene McGee
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
Trae V.

Trae V.

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

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

Mark Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Mark's Story
Ally Hilfiger
Alice Walker
Alice Walker
Kari M.

Kari M.

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

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
Alix M.

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan
Lisa V.
Lia G.

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Kyle Morton
Kyle Morton
Erin Walker
Pete Seeger
Wendy A.
Wendy A.
Gerrit van Zijll
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Ruben Lee Sims

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
Singer Marina Morgan
US Track Star Perry Fields

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Sarah Donohue

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

KÊTA

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

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Olympian Christie Rampone

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Tara C.
Peter Sarsgaard
Peter Sarsgaard
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Mel Clarke
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke

Daryl Hall

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

Briana B.

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

Robert Buelteman

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

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine'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
Anwar Hadid
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Parker Posey
Parker Posey

Andrew G.

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

Jenn B.

Alameda County, CA
"I hope this account of my struggle helps educate the public and enlighten medical professionals."
Read Jenn'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
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.

Shelby A.

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

Camille A.

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

Tracy Mulholland

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

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Yolanda Foster
Yolanda Foster
Sharon W.
Writer David Michael Conner
Adventurer Ray Mears
Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Enid H.
Jane Alexander
Nenah Cherry
Nenah Cherry
Erika S.
Chef Kirk Haworth
Samantha P.
Dancer Brendan Saye
Jesse Colin Young
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Author Andrew McGuinness

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Elena Delle Donne
Elena Delle Donne

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Patrick P.
Alex H.
Kathleen O.
Kathleen O.

Maisie M.

Washington, DC
"I am invisibly sick ... but I am at war with Lyme."
Read Maisie's Story
Debbie Gibson
Debbie Gibson
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Kathleen Hanna
Kathleen Hanna
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Melissa M.
Melissa M.
James D.
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Colin M.