Blog - Page 21 of 22 - Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Elet Hall, Ninja Warrior, Lyme Survivor

By Bay Area Lyme

Elet Hall is nothing short of a marvel. This amazing athlete is a four-time competitor on American Ninja Warrior, where he is known as “The Natural” for his seemingly effortless runs. The first two years he successfully made it to the Las Vegas finals despite suffering from undiagnosed Lyme disease. Shortly after the 2013 finals, he woke up one day with facial paralysis and his joints and limbs numbed with fatigue. After being diagnosed and successfully treated for Lyme disease, he again returned in 2014 to triumph in his third attempt at the competition. After dominating Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the national finals, Elet finally succumbed to the floating doors in Stage 3, coming in 2nd place in his third attempt at the competition.

This year, Elet again returned to the ANW stage, with a dominating “run of the night” at the 2015 Pittsburgh Qualifiers. (Check out Elet’s facebook page for the video!) and then headed to the Pittsburgh City Finals on August 10th. At the finals, Elet had a tough run, narrowly surviving a missed grab on the monkey bars before finally slipping on the last few doorknobs. Even with the surprising fall, however, Hall still was among the fastest finalists, qualifying him to move on to Las Vegas for the national finals and the battle for a $1 million grand prize. [Read here for more about the August finals.) Unfortunately it was not Elet’s year to walk away with the grand prize but we will be rooting for him in next year’s competition!!

Here in a November 2014 excerpt from a longer story on our Faces of Lyme feature, he shares some perspective about the challenges of fighting Lyme disease as an athlete:

Clinicians & Researchers Gather to Discuss Science of Lyme Disease

By Bay Area Lyme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Tara DiMilia, 908-947-0500, tara.dimilia@TMstrat.com

Clinicians, Researchers Gather in Boston to Discuss Science of Lyme Disease — Conference Unites Lyme Disease Research Community

Boston, MA — A national scientific conference entitled “Lyme Borreliosis and Tick-Borne Illnesses: Diagnostics, Emerging Pathogens and Avenues for New Research,” brought a broad range of researchers and clinicians to Boston November 8 and 9 to discuss tick-borne diseases, share emerging ideas and knowledge, and assess the most promising avenues for research into the future. Held at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the conference drew more than 200 people from across the country and around the world intent on collaborating through the power of science to find answers to some of the most complex and often-misunderstood diseases. The two-day forum, to which the Bay Area Lyme Foundation provided an unrestricted educational grant, also featured the presentation of awards recognizing several scientists for their contributions to the understanding and treatment of Lyme disease.

Interview with ELA Recipient Lisa Blum

By Bay Area Lyme

Lisa Blum is an enterprising young scientist and postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine, working in the lab of Dr. Bill Robinson. Earlier this year she was recognized as a Bay Area Lyme Foundation Emerging Leader and received a $100,000 project grant. Here she talks about her research, life at Stanford, and the impact of the award.

Q: Earlier this year, your project, “Sequencing of Antibody Responses to Borrelia burgdorferi Infection — Generation of Recombinant Antibodies with Diagnostic and Therapeutic Utility” helped earn you recognition as a Bay Area Lyme Emerging Leader. Tell us about your project and what you hope to accomplish.

Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system that protect us from infections, but in some cases the antibodies themselves can damage the human body. Our goal is to characterize antibodies produced during different stages of Lyme disease, and to generate monoclonal antibodies that can be used to improve on existing Lyme disease treatments and diagnosis.

Bay Area Lyme Foundation Requests Proposals for $100,000 Grant for an Emerging Scientific Leader in Lyme Research

By Bay Area Lyme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Tara DiMilia, 908-947-0500, tara.dimilia@TMstrat.com

Bay Area Lyme Foundation Requests Proposals for $100,000 Grant for An Emerging Scientific Leader in Lyme Research

Emerging Leader Award aims to inspire a much-needed focus on Lyme disease among researchers

Silicon Valley, CA — Bay Area Lyme Foundation, the leading nonprofit funder of innovative Lyme disease research in the US, today announced a call for applications for its Bay Area Lyme Foundation Emerging Leader Award and accompanying $100,000 grant. This award will be given to a promising scientist who embodies the future of leadership in Lyme disease research in the US. The award recipient will be a researcher at the post-doctoral level through the Assistant Professor level, or equivalent, who has identified a defined approach to improved diagnostics or therapies for Lyme disease. Important criteria include demonstrated professional and scientific leadership in the biomedical sciences and a strong supporting scientific rationale for the project. Research efforts are required to generate initial proof-of-concept within 12 – 18 months.

#Lime4Lyme at Hops & Harmony

By Bay Area Lyme

Lime4Lyme

You couldn’t have missed it … Some months ago, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge captured the nation’s attention and raised millions of dollars for the ALS association. Participants were doused with a bucket of ice or could make a donation to the charity to avoid the ice dunking.

Well, in late August, one enterprising young woman, Ms. Shelby Anderson, inspired by the ALS tactics and determined to raise awareness about Lyme disease, introduced a new spin on the challenge. With friends and supporters at Western University in Pomona, CA, she challenged folks to eat an entire lime in support of Bay Area Lyme Foundation and our efforts to develop a better diagnostic.

Does Everyone Get the Telltale Bullseye Rash?

By Bay Area Lyme

No. A certain kind of rash, called erythema migrans, is a telltale symptom of Lyme disease, and if you have it call your doctor immediately. But not everyone who has Lyme exhibits a rash, much less the “bullseye” rash so often associated with Lyme disease.

Hops & Harmony, Sunday Sept. 28

By Bay Area Lyme

Please join us. Bring your own picnic & blanket or order catered BBQ and enjoy some great tunes and crafted brews.

FREE Admission, $25 donation for catered BBQ meal – Select Brewery Beers $4

Also featuring Kids’ Activity Tent and Lyme Education & Prevention Information.

Lyme Disease Risk Is Year-Round in Northwest California, According to New Study

By Bay Area Lyme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Tara DiMilia, 908-947-0500, tara.dimilia@TMstrat.com

Researchers from CDPH and UC-Berkeley Publish Findings in Peer-Review Journal, Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

Silicon Valley, CA — Bay Area Lyme Foundation, which aims to make Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure, applauds new research published in an upcoming issue of the Elsevier peer review journal Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. The findings show that ticks that carry Lyme disease in Northwest California are active throughout the year, making the threat of Lyme disease year-round. The research was conducted by researchers at California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Vector-borne Disease Section and University of California, Berkeley (UC-B).

Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s LymeAid Raises Funds To Accelerate Medical Breakthroughs

By Bay Area Lyme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Tara DiMilia, 908-947-0500, tara.dimilia@TMstrat.com

First Ever ‘Emerging Leader Award’ Presented to Two Promising Scientists

Portola Valley, CA –Bay Area Lyme Foundation, www.BayAreaLyme.org, a national organization dedicated to accelerating medical breakthroughs for Lyme disease and making prevention common knowledge, raised close to $500,000 at its second annual LymeAid benefit concert last evening, with 100 percent of contributions supporting research to find a reliable diagnostic and cure for Lyme disease.

Bay Area Lyme Foundation Expands Its Team

By Bay Area Lyme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Tara DiMilia, 908-947-0500, tara.dimilia@TMstrat.com

Four Board Members and Two Staff Members Added to Growing Organization

Portola Valley, CA – Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a national organization dedicated to accelerating medical breakthroughs for Lyme disease and making prevention common knowledge, announced today the addition of four new Advisory Board members and two new staff members. The additions come as the organization grows in order to drive new research and bring new talent to bear on this pernicious and spreading disease.