When it comes to understanding the impact that Lyme Disease has on the lives of individuals and families, there’s no better source of reference than going straight to the proverbial horse’s mouth. That’s why in October of 2014, we launched “The Big Green Heart Tour” – a campaign to bring awareness to the eight hundred and twenty-two people diagnosed with Lyme Disease every single day.
In thirty days we traveled over 10,000 miles and interviewed more than seventy Lyme Fighters in over twenty states. And that was just our first trip! We hope to do many more. In fact, our goal is to show people the impact that one single day has on the lives of eight hundred and twenty-two people, which is why we’re going to keep planning trips until we’ve met and interviewed eight hundred and twenty-two Lyme Fighters.
Check out the gallery below to learn about the Lyme Fighters we’ve met so far (more pictures coming soon!)and subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to know when we’ve started posting the interviews (coming May 2015).
Sara
October 25, 2014: Met with super awesome Lyme Warrior, Sara, who hosted us and fellow warrior, Renee, for a lovely chat and a fabulous Lyme-friendly lunch. Despite having been diagnosed with CDC-positive Lyme at the age of five following a bullseye rash, Sara's subsequent and persistent symptoms were dismissed as being unrelated to Lyme following the recommended short course of antibiotics that she had received. She has spent the majority of her life dealing with symptoms ranging from pain, fatigue, insomnia, and cognitive dysfunction and while her and her amazing and supportive mother have long since been convinced that the two were related, for years they was unable to find any doctor who would validate their suspicions. Fortunately, one of Sara's coworkers recognized her symptoms and referred her to an LLMD who was able to accurately diagnose her and she has begun to take steps towards recovering her health. Sara continues to work full time as an accountant despite debilitating pain and relies on prescription painkillers to function. Though she worries about the longterm effects of these medications, she also knows that without them she would be unable to work and thus unable to afford longterm treatment currently not covered by her insurance company. She's currently looking into alternative therapies and natural options to help alleviate her symptoms as she continues on IV antibiotic therapy. We had such a great time meeting Sara and her mom and can't thank them both enough for the delicious AND nutritious lunch!