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.
Shelby was bitten by a tick while camping as a child in Mendocino county but, like many patients, only diagnosed much later after suffering for years with Lyme disease and several related co-infections. She explains, “Only if I had been tested and treated early, then this never would have happened to me. I see a big need for a more accurate test.”
Shelby’s challenge inspired hundreds of donations and many more challenges, including the group event at Bay Area Lyme’s Hope & Harmony music festival on Sunday, September 28th. Dozens of festival attendees joined Shelby and foundation team members on stage puckering their lips eating limes and challenging friends to join the cause. The most motivated lime-eaters (pictured above) were celebrated with trophies and included a very enthusiastic 3-year old and a determined San Francisco firefighter.
You can join the cause. Challenge your friends and family to eat a #lime4lyme and help support better diagnostics for Lyme disease. Click here for more information about how to donate or other ways to get involved.