Bay Area Lyme Ambassador Shares Her Story

Guest Blog by Jessica Devine

Bay Area Lyme Foundation is one of the first sources of information I found when I was finally diagnosed.  I realized through the years that only a few resources could always be relied upon for accurate information based on scientific research. I also feel connected to BAL because I was bit in California by a tick that carried Lyme, Babesia, Bartonella, Erhlichia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and more. I have always trusted their information for over a decade now. What they do and continue to do to help this community is something I will always be grateful for.

Creating an uplifting space for Lyme patients has been my dream since my first TV interview when a local station asked me to come on and share my story. Once on camera, I was filled with passion when given the chance to speak about my story, the injustices of Lyme disease treatment and getting a late diagnosis.

From there, people started reaching out to me needing help. I had kind of lost myself in my illness and slowly, through advocacy work, I gained a feeling that I can only describe as finding your true purpose. When I help someone, I have peace.

I found groups to be depressing and I knew the only way to have the group that best served a patient in the ways I needed was to create it myself. I wanted a solution based group that required all of its members to act with kindness. Alongside my own Lyme doctor’s methods, member polls and an accumulation of top resources, I finally was able to create the first Lyme Disease and Co-Infections Directory to cover almost any topic related to these diseases. An easy way for a patient to find the information quickly and learn. I feel the more we understand about these diseases, why we have the symptoms we have and how to help ourselves heal, we become more hopeful and empowered.

I see myself as a patient advocate. I do everything to benefit the patient. I stepped back from Lyme Awareness work to focus on the community and their needs as my priority. I love these people and they are who I want to help until our cure is found. I have 10 different support groups to help on a variety of topics.

My passion for focusing on solutions is where my favorite part of the website was created. Now although we lean on our doctors to guide our treatments and I absolutely believe in the importance of having a Lyme Literate doctor, we need individual solutions ideas for the symptoms we suffer from while we heal. We need to suffer less…period. Having ideas to bring to our doctors or a resource to understand why they are using certain methods brings peace to a patient.

I put my heart into every idea on this site. Everything at your fingertips, from what to do if bit by a tick, how to find a doctor, the top facts and misconceptions about these diseases, how to recognize symptoms and a doctor letter to fight back if a doctor is dismissing you.  I also spent several years creating a Lyme Literate therapist list for every state.  I then created a list of disability attorneys who have won their client’s cases based on Lyme.

One day I hope this website won’t be needed because we will have our cure—but until then, I plan to make sure this site makes every patient feel that they can RISE ABOVE LYME.

Link to EDUCATION 

Link to SYMPTOMS AND SOLUTIONS

Link to the LYME DISEASE AND CO-INFECTIONS DIRECTORY