Ticks and Lyme disease are far too common and not at all discriminating. According to the most recent CDC statistics, there are nearly 500,000 new US cases of Lyme disease each year 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.

Claire E.

Seth D.

Columbia County, NY
"Has anyone else had a similar experience?"
Read Seth's Story

Mark G.

San Diego, CA
"Lyme Disease has been the greatest teacher that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone."
Read Mark's Story
Cassie M.
Senator Kay Hagan

Grace S.

Hilliard, OH
"I do not remember being bitten by a tick, so I felt it was impossible that I could have Lyme."
Read Grace's Story
Author Porochista Khakpour
Musician Bill Chinnock

Alan B.

Middlesex County, MA
"At some point, we will all be liberated from this nightmare."
Read Alan's Story
Melissa M.
Kelsey W.

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Author Eric Karlan

Bella M.

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

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Sierra R.

Brandon W.

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

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Boxer Mikkel Kessler
Erika S.
Olympian Christie Rampone

Tory C.

Sonoma County, CA
"I will fight this disease and I will get my life back! "
Read Tory's Story
Brooke Landau
Gabe Magnotta
Fontayne F.
Stephanie E.
Pete Seeger

Justin M.

Foxboro, MA
"Lyme is truly a debilitating disease, especially for those that can't afford it."
Read Justin's Story
Justin Bieber
Kathleen Hanna
Tessa Wallace

Michelle M.

Suffolk County, NY
"If I was ever going to get better, I had to be my own advocate."
Read Michelle's Story
Olivia G.
Actress Karen Allen

Louis S.

San Mateo County, CA
"My mom says she remembers the day my personality came back."
Read Louis's Story

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Nichola M.
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan

Camille A.

Spouse, mother, and caregiver
"The amount of suffering [from Lyme disease] is inexcusable!"
Read Camille's Story
Author Jordan Fisher Smith
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
Jennifer Capriati
Breanna R.
Samantha P.
Nelle F.
Suzanne P.
Kris Kristofferson
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Karl B.
Gregg K.
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Marla Maples
Calla J.
Mary-Margaret R.

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Congressman Berkley Bedell

Ben A.

Long Island, NY
"My healing journey started with antibiotics, but they only provided temporary relief."
Read Ben's Story

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia'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
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Bella Hadid
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker

Alex H.

Fresno County, CA
"One day, I hope that no family goes through what ours did. For now, the first step is prevention"
Read Alex'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

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story

Phil G.

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

Marjorie H.

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

Heather F.

Montgomery Country, MD
"Do not doubt yourself, but mostly, do not give up hope."
Read Heather's Story
Dr. Kristin Honey

Christina K.

San Diego / Joshua Tree, CA
"I have made a conscious decision to choose an attitude and intention of thriving."
Read Christina's Story
Jocelyne B.
Walter H.
Matthew G.
Ally Hilfiger
Chef Kirk Haworth
Ben Stiller
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Debbie Gibson

Laure W.

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

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Ruben Lee Sims

Joan A.

Chevy Chase, MD
"I would say if you have a bite—get to the right doctor for testing. Don’t rely on the CDC tests."
Read Joan's Story
Enid H.

Matt Dawson

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

Kayla D.

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

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story
Scott A.
Netflix star Talia Jackson

Maisie M.

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

Dominic S.

Groningen, Netherlands
"Lyme Disease is real, it isn’t a joke."
Read Dominic's Story
Pop artist Sonali Argade

Christina C.

Alameda County, CA
"Many people know very little about Lyme. I'm going to change that."
Read Christina's Story
Danie V.
Ryan H.
Whitfield W.
Writer David Michael Conner
Ashley Olsen

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
Melissa D.
Stephanie S.
Adventurer Ray Mears
Actress Martine McCutcheon
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson

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

Trae V.

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

KÊTA

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

Milena G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Milena's Story
Dancer Brendan Saye
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Lisa V.
Nancy D.

Briana B.

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

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story
Tara C.
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Pastor Ramon H.
Singer Marina Morgan
Richard Gere
Colin M.
Elena Delle Donne
Tom Seaver
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson
Sarah N.
Cassidy C.
Runner Robby A.
Thalia
Tasha R.
Nikki K.
Amy W.

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Emily S.

Drew M.

Portola Valley, CA
"I think Lyme most of all is a mental battle."
Read Drew's Story
Amy Tan
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
Nicole K.

Emily F.

Medfield, MA
"It felt like each day I was adding new symptoms that had nothing to do with the last..."
Read Emily's Story
Kyle Morton

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Katherine H.

Sonoma County, CA
"The miracle happened when we were at the darkest point in Lyme disease."
Read Katherine's Story

Sarah D.

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

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
"I am doing ok."
Read Laura's Story
Chloe L.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller
Yolanda Foster

Blair B.

Oconto County, Wisconsin
"Lyme disease changed my relationship with the outdoors"
Read Blair's Story
Tori Foles

Angeli Vanlaanen

Professional Freeskiier
"My story of going years undiagnosed is all too common."
Read Angeli's Story
Thaiadora D.
Marisol Thomas
Kathleen O.
Kelly Osbourne
James D.
Gerrit van Zijll
Author Andrew McGuinness
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Susan B.
Adrienne N.

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke
Jane Alexander

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story
Painter John Bramblitt
Eddie S.
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Amanda K.
Deanna T.
Davis B.
Lisa N.

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala'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
Author Holly Chamelli
Christy Turlington
Crystal Harris
Hannah O.

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
BBC Reporter Allan Little

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
Kirstie Alley
Anwar Hadid

Mary Kate Robertson

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

Daryl Hall

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

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
Patrick P.

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story
Nenah Cherry

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
Peter Sarsgaard
US Track Star Perry Fields

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Sarah M.
Erin Walker
Avril Lavigne
Alice Walker

Brooke G.

New York, NY
"We get stronger by working together for greater health and wellness."
Read Brooke's Story
Evan G.
Grace W.

Mary Sue A.

Monterey County, CA
"I will do everything in my power to help prevent this disease!"
Read Mary's Story

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
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Legendary crooner José José
George W. Bush
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder
UFC fighter Jim Miller
Olympian Kristen Sweetland

Shelby A.

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

Susie M.

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

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Ella B.

Andrew G.

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

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story
Parker Posey
Reality TV star Irene McGee

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Olivia S.