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.

Briana B.

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

Rachel H.

Santa Clara County, CA
"I no longer see my health journey as a curse."
Read Rachel's Story
Samantha P.
Lisa V.

Karine B.

San Francisco County
"I did not accept that Lyme would be stronger than me."
Read Karine's Story
Wendy A.
Adventurer Ray Mears

Louis S.

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

Maisie M.

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

Drew M.

Portola Valley, CA
"I think Lyme most of all is a mental battle."
Read Drew's Story
Musician Elijah Blue Allman
Rebecca Wells
Sharon W.

Seth D.

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

Susie M.

San Diego County, CA
"None of the physicians I saw put it together either."
Read Susie's Story
Yolanda Foster
BBC Reporter Allan Little

Phil G.

Leelanau County, MI
"I’m finally starting to feel like myself again."
Read Phil's Story
Nancy D.
Tom J.
Soccer star Karel Poborsky
Danie V.
Senator Kay Hagan
Comedian Akilah Hughes
Davis B.

Lia G.

Alameda County, CA
"Lyme disease: it’s real, folks."
Read Lia's Story
Author Porochista Khakpour
Kris Kristofferson
Richard Gere

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
Eddie S.

Milena G.

Los Angeles, CA
" I was living in a body no longer my own, one ravaged by Lyme."
Read Milena's Story

Shona C.

San Francisco County, CA
"We can help each other take this day by day."
Read Shona's Story
Justin Bieber
Dr. Kristin Honey
Alice Walker
Tasha R.
Brooke Landau

Ben A.

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

Camille A.

Spouse, mother, and caregiver
"The amount of suffering [from Lyme disease] is inexcusable!"
Read Camille's Story
Sarah M.
Ruben Lee Sims

Alix M.

Santa Clara County, CA
"Chronic Lyme is a living death"
Read Alix's Story
Whitfield W.
Adrienne N.
Gerrit van Zijll

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

Mark G.

San Diego, CA
"Lyme Disease has been the greatest teacher that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone."
Read Mark's Story
Pop artist Sonali Argade
Writer David Michael Conner
Melissa M.
Kelsey W.

Bella M.

Lee County, FL
"This is not easy. Life gets harder every day."
Read Bella's Story
Olivia G.
Lindsay B.

Andrew G.

Solano County, CA
"I believe my son, Andrew, was killed by Lyme."
Read Andrew's Story
Stephanie S.
Colin M.
Evan G.

Mela L.

Siskiyou County, CA
"Hoping to help make the world a bit healthier!"
Read Mela's Story
Ben Stiller

Robert Buelteman

San Mateo County, CA
"I knew something was very wrong."
Read Robert's Story

Meghan W.

Cortlandt Manor, NY
"CBD has helped me live in less pain from Lyme disease"
Read Meghan's Story

Michelle T.

Marin County, CA
"Are we gonna beat this? Absolutely. Can we find a cure? Absolutely."
Read Michelle's Story

Kelly W.

Plumas County, CA
"The journey through Lyme disease is a long and painful experience."
Read Kelly's Story
Matthew G.
Crystal Harris
Amanda K.
Pete Seeger

KÊTA

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

Trae V.

San Mateo County, CA
"Everyone knows somebody with Lyme — they just don’t know it yet."
Read Trae's Story
Ryan H.
Peter Sarsgaard
Claire E.
Christy Turlington
Nikki K.
Chef Kirk Haworth
Actor/Producer Ariel Stein
Actress Martine McCutcheon

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
Ella B.

Mary Sue A.

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

Alan B.

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

Shymala H.

Contra Costa County, CA
"You are your own medical advocate ... Do NOT give up."
Read Shymala's Story

Jonathan L.

Bernalillo County, NM
"Chronic Lyme is like stepping through the looking glass straight into Hell."
Read Jonathan's Story
Triathlete Mary Beth Ellis
Pro Golfer Gary Player
Reporter Nicola Sommavilla
Rocker Dave Mustaine
Tori Foles
Sarah N.
Olympian Kristen Sweetland
Gabe Magnotta
Voice Contestant Ryan Quinn
Susan B.
Competitive miler Drew Hunter
Kathleen Hanna

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
Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben
Patrick P.

Shelby A.

Butte County, CA
"My hope is that one day Lyme disease will be treated quickly and correctly…"
Read Shelby's Story
Singer Marina Morgan
Artist Peter Williams
UFC fighter Jim Miller

Esmé Weijun Wang

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

Triathlete Angela Naeth

British Columbia, Canada
"Treating lyme is like being on a roller coaster. "
Read Triathlete's Story
Mary-Margaret R.
PGA Golfer Tim Simpson
Congressman Berkley Bedell
NHL player-coach Kirk Muller

Dana Parish

Singer Songwriter
"I had the CDC-recommended 21 days of Doxy... I fully believed I'd be okay."
Read Dana's Story

Matt Dawson

International Rugby star
"Ticks carry some really potent bacteria. Raising awareness is imperative.""
Read Matt's Story
Parker Posey
Scott A.
Motorcross Racer Jimmy Decotis
News Anchor Gretchen Carlson

Dave Skidmore

Lehigh County, PA
"These days most people know someone with Lyme disease. That's a lot of someones."
Read Dave's Story
Deanna T.

Kari M.

Sonoma County, CA
"Lyme is life-changing, pain, pain, and more pain."
Read Kari's Story

Kevin S.

Wake County, NC
"You are never beyond hope."
Read Kevin's Story

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
Nelle F.
“Real Housewife” Amber Marchese
Painter John Bramblitt
Tara C.
Chloe L.
Author Holly Chamelli
Suzanne P.
PGA Champion Jimmy Walker

Mary Kate Robertson

'Duck Dynasty' star
"I hope the seriousness of this disease will start to get out there."
Read Mary's Story
Kirstie Alley
Olympian Christie Rampone
Legendary crooner José José
Thaiadora D.
MiLB Player Jordan Yallen
Ashley Olsen

Angeli Vanlaanen

Professional Freeskiier
"My story of going years undiagnosed is all too common."
Read Angeli's Story
Author Jordan Fisher Smith

Sarah D.

County Carlow, Ireland
"There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Read Sarah's Story
Nenah Cherry
Brenton Tyler Hoffman
Kathleen O.
Calla J.
James D.

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

Justin M.

Foxboro, MA
"Lyme is truly a debilitating disease, especially for those that can't afford it."
Read Justin's Story
Walter H.

Michelle M.

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

Kayla D.

Harris County, TX
"It never occurred to me that something else could be going on."
Read Kayla's Story
HS Tennis Star Camryn C.
Karl B.
Nichola M.
Para-Olympian Mel Clarke

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
USA Triathlete Peter Weaver

Natalie N.

Lee County, FL
"I'm 22 and living like a hermit... Lyme has taken so much from me."
Read Natalie's Story
Kelly Osbourne
Actress Karen Allen
Runner Robby A.
Pres. Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Marisol Thomas

Dominic S.

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

Izabela B.

Bergen County, NJ
"Listen to your body! When you think something is wrong, it probably is."
Read Izabela's Story

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
Melissa D.
Cassie M.

Laure W.

San Mateo County, CA
"I felt like I lost my life for almost two years..."
Read Laure's Story
Hannah O.
Pastor Ramon H.
Anwar Hadid
Dancer Brendan Saye
Breanna R.

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
Ink Master Geary Morrill
Author Andrew McGuinness
Jennifer Capriati
RHONY star Ramona Singer
Olivia S.
Tessa Wallace
Erin Walker
Entrepreneur John Caudwell
Musician Bill Chinnock
Kyle Morton

Laura H.

Shasta County, CA
"I am doing ok."
Read Laura's Story
Amy Tan

Blair B.

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

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

Bart Yasso

Competitive Racer & Running Legend
" I can do this. I can beat this thing."
Read Bart's Story

Christina C.

Alameda County, CA
"Many people know very little about Lyme. I'm going to change that."
Read Christina's Story

Marjorie H.

Morris County, NJ
"Seeking answers and advocating for ourselves and our families is important!"
Read Marjorie's Story
Netflix star Talia Jackson
Tom Seaver
Outdoor explorer Lee Farmer
Singer-songwriter Ben Kyle
Singer Songwriter Jesse Colin Young
Sierra R.
Jane Alexander
Topeka Mayor Michelle de la Isla
Boxer Mikkel Kessler

Katherine H.

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

Heather F.

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

Brooke G.

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

Tory C.

Sonoma County, CA
"I will fight this disease and I will get my life back! "
Read Tory's Story

Daryl Hall

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

Sarah H.

Williamson County, TN
"I had no idea the tests were so inaccurate."
Read Sarah's Story
Jocelyne B.
HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder

Emily L.

Norfolk County, MA
"Just because I am sick, doesn't mean I have to live a sick life."
Read Emily's Story
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Nicole K.
NHL player Lukas Bengtsson
Marla Maples

Kris Newby

Santa Clara County, CA
"It is unhealthy for a society to use language that blames the victim."
Read Kris'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
Elena Delle Donne
Bella Hadid
Singer-songwriter Jared Dylan

Allie C.

Westchester County, NY
"It's time to make some noise."
Read Allie's Story
Thalia
Avril Lavigne
Shania Twain
Gregg K.
Reality TV star Irene McGee
Grace W.

David D.

Boundary County, ID
"I have been given a second chance at life."
Read David's Story
Enid H.
Erika S.
Fontayne F.
Ally Hilfiger
Lisa N.
Amy W.
US Track Star Perry Fields

Brandon W.

Albemarle County, VA
"I hope one day we can find a cure to this terrible disease."
Read Brandon's Story
Author Eric Karlan
Stephanie E.
Tennis pro Samantha Stosur
Jazz-Hip Hop Artist Pete Philly
Emily S.