Amy Proal, PhD

Singer songwriter

Infected: 2014
Diagnosed: 2014
Current health: “I am about 95 percent better. I am still on and off various antibiotics and Chinese herbs, but there is light.

Unless eradicated very early, Lyme is not curable. You strive to ‘bang it into submission,’ as my heroic Lyme doctor says, and hope not to be in the forty percent-or-so who relapse. -Dana Parish

Singer-songwriter Dana Parish, who has numerous chart-topping singles (including “Not My Problem” and “Let it Go By”) and collaborations with husband Andrew Hollander, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Celine Dion, Jacquie Lee, and Idina Menzel, among others, has also struggled with Lyme disease.

Despite early antibiotic treatment after discovering a rash in early 2014, she continued to experience worsening symptoms. Two years and many medical consultations later, Dana is again on antibiotics with a confirmed diagnosis of persistent Lyme infection. She is “fighting the good fight,” but making progress.

Dana shared her story in this February issue of the Huffington Post in hopes of helping others to “be aware and be vigilant.”

Huffington_Post_Logo

 “How 11 TOP NYC Doctors Missed My Lyme Disease

 

Dana Parish

You can check out her music on her website: danaparish.com.

Her latest album, Uncrushed, can be found on iTunes and Amazon.

20 Comments on “Dana Parish

  1. Hi there
    Thankyou so much for bringing to people’s attention the health issues of Lyme Disease! Am a Scottish gal living in Glasgow & was bitten by a tick whilst traveling in Indonesia when I was 21 – around the same time was bitten by sandflies & mosquitoes. My doctor at the time just gave me antidepressants & over 20years later – with a different doctors just give me a prescription for most antidepressants!
    2years ago I went to doctors as I had black mold & mercury exposure & the feeling was like invasion of the body snatchers but the Doctor dismissed my theory about the mold triggered the Lyme disease.
    I was losing it & couldn’t leave the house – my partner had enough & got me a kinesiology session which was amazing as it conclude the Lyme was back!
    The reason why I am writing to you all – is I want to draw a graphic novel as I have dyslexia & believe a pictorial account of Lyme disease will help all ages & whilst the Lyme relapse I managed to get my Master’s in Litt Graphic Novels & Comic at Dundee University. These last years I have been researching how Lyme Disease goes unnoticed by Doctors & it’s so sad – many people like myself – feel alone with a crazy illness that effects the whole body.
    I would appreciate your time and advice on my idea & would a graphic novel about Le Disease interest you?

    I wish you all great health & sunshine
    Evy

  2. Good day Dana!

    I am an autoimmune disease research scientist and functional nutrition practitioner. I myself have a very similar story to yours, and I’d love to speak with you and collaborate. The more people like us speak out and tell the truth about our experiences, the more we can help others to heal and live the life that they were created to live.

    I look forward to speaking with you. Let’s grab a zoom meeting.

    Feel free to look up my info at go.truewellnesstoday.net, where I have a free masterclass teaching folks how to heal with functional medicine.

    1. I would love to do a zoom, as I have an autoimmune disease, and the lyme disease threw me into a cytokine storm 🙁

      Nancy

  3. Hello, I was watching a video of Dana and Dr. Phillips. I was diagnosed with ALS and wanted to know why Dr. Phillips doesn’t elaborate on this, due to the fact that lyme drives this. I also heard him say that ALS was puzzling or something to that effect. Can you answer why it’s so puzzling and is there any hope for people, like me.

    Ty

    E. McCormack

  4. Please direct this email to Dana Parish. (The ILADS’s website doc referral hasn’t been helpful to me.)

    In a recent youtube available conference she mentioned knowing a Midwest ILADS doc to refer a patient to. I’m interested in an ILADS doc within an 8 hrs drive of either TAMPA (where I, a 1977-1996 San Diego, CA nurse without Lyme, live and work as an elementary school assistant) or NORTHEAST IOWA where my 42-year-old son (employed civilian pilot age 21-33 & 37-39, late Lyme ILADS and disability patient age 33-36) with deteriorating Lyme relapse since 2016) now lives with my financial assistance, Medicaid health insurance, federal housing assistance, and recent unreasonable denial of SSI. …

    DESPITE accessing the internet, attending several distant conferences and multiple nearby support groups, researching ILADS literature to appeal to insurance companies, picketing Mayo Clinic, contacting the National Press Club, etc 2009- 2015, I didn’t become aware of Dr. Steven Phillips until several months ago when knowledge of my son’s advancing symptoms left me with no doubt he needs serious retreatment and quite soon. We just need a little while to decide “where and who” in order to make the best use of our resources. Recent internet access to conference discussions and articles by or about MDs & PHDs such as Fallon, Aucott, Zhang, Lewis, Leigner, Donta, Shor, Horowitz, etc had been very helpful. And … currently I have no reason not to totally love Dr. STEVEN PHILLIPS. …

    I look forward to hearing from you.

  5. Just wondering if this is a typo, but it says she was infected in 2014 a year after she was diagnosed in 2013? I’m assuming it’s the other way around, otherwise, how could they diagnose her without her having been infected yet?

    1. You are right, there was a typo! Thank you for catching it, now corrected.

  6. My daughter is 28 years old and suffers horrific nerve pain, brain fog, difficulty walking etc…..etc……. Same story, different person. It is heart-wrenching seeing my daughter become debilitated day after day after day. She is seeing an Internal Medicine doctor now and being treated with the typical antibiotics…Zythromax…..along with pain meds to control the nerve pain daily. She’s been given supplements but I’m just spending more and more $$ and nothing is changing; in fact, she is worse. My story is the same….gone through several doctors but now that it’s over 5 years plus, hope is dwindling. She wants to give up, in fact, many times has made the same comment…,”I can’t do this anymore”!! I know all too much about Lyme, as my older sister has had it for over 25 years. Her life is a matter of surviving. If Gary (your comments above) or Paul (comments above) wants to assist, direct …anything at this point as I’m watching my daughter whittle away. Thank you, Lost in Pennsylvania, Nancy K. HELP!!!

    1. I have a very good Lyme doctor in pa, who has brought me back from the brink of despair. It took many years but I steadily got better, and now I live a life better than I could have imagined. He keeps a very low key, since he has many Lyme patients who rely on him.

    1. I am afraid we can’t give out personal information (and encourage others also not to do so) but you can post public questions here and we will make sure to alert Dana to the posts. Best wishes.

  7. Please someone help me. I’m suffering badly. I’m very sensitive to everything. I’m 71 and have been suffering for 36 years on and off. Now my battle is worse than ever. I almost my life 3 times. I have no quality of life. Can’t eat without reacting. Can’t go out without reacting. I just want to spend some quality time with my grandchildren. I’m so inflamed my body burns. No one really understands what l go through.

    1. Patricia, please know that you are not alone and there are those who want to help. It can be challenging to find care-providers who understand Lyme (or other tick-borne infections) but they are out there and they will help you find treatment. The best next step may be to find a care provider in your area from the ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) physician directory which you can find here. We wish you health and hope. Be strong and be well.

    2. I understand, Patricia. I really do. Please contact ILADS like they said. Reach out to people and have compassion for yourself as you’d give to another person. Click the top right bars towards the top of ILADS site. There will be a section called “patient care.” You give them your email from there and they will email you back. I know this is lonely but you aren’t alone. Sign up for forums too. If you want, I am Violetfish on the PatientsLikeMe Lyme forum. Biggest Hugs, Love!

  8. I would love some support and anyone who has overcome these buggers!!!

    Just the other day I burst out into tears… no one seems to understand what I am going thru and my Dr. misdiagnosed me with fibromyalgia 20 years ago. I was finally diagnosed with Rickettsia in November and then it all made sense… I live in Canada and the drs. here don’t recognize Lyme, it’s crazy!!! I can’t live like this anymore. Please is there some help out there? People cannot suffer anymore!!! Let’s all fight like soldiers!!!! The war for a cure is on! Sandra Rush Kelowna, BC, Canada

    1. I will not repeat my story. I have documentation of every step of my battle from 1984-1997. Regardless of what is written, if a fast diagnosis isn’t treated with antibiotics, long-term is a horror story. I was cured in 1997 from a chelation therapy in an out-of-the-norm clinic no longer there. Obviously I have the formula and do NOT get replies from the 20 Doctors that treated me back then. If anyone is interested, I will share what worked for me. I am 78 years of age and do not have any of the symptoms that I had and they were horrific.

    2. Hi Sandra, I feel your pain and frustration on this disease . please call me I can help you get better! I Was ready to die but came back from the dead!

  9. Much less often now I review the state of Lyme news. I missed the Dr Phillips articles all last year. Thanks for being you.

    I’m a long term misdiagnosed sufferer now w/5+ years of slow but steady recovery.THC/CBD tinctures became a critical addition to health. I have had a first-hand conversation w/known bright neighbors who explained their conversation w/ Russian emigrees about inoculation in Russia from this biologic weapon created and threatening local residents after “nature got out” and escaped Russian control. I can offer little more but believe the hesitancy of US to fund studies is a slow walk or coverup. I suspect the US had this similar loss of control of the Russian bioweapon from the US weapons research lab on Long Island or now could easily imagine the Russians letting it loose in CT/ NY intentionally. Best Wishes, Peter H

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