Wendy Phillips is the Founder of the Lyme Treatment Foundation, which gives grants to Lyme patients in several countries to help pay for testing and treatment. Recently, on the organization’s fourth anniversary, she posted the following message to Facebook.
I was diagnosed with Lyme disease in the summer of 2017. I was dealing with heart problems, seizures, neurological issues, I could no longer read, comprehend conversations, I couldn’t sit up, or even make a phone call.
I was so sick and doctors were passing me off. Labels like fibromyalgia and MS were thrown around, but I did not have a diagnosis.
In March 2017, I found Dr. Richard Horowitz’s tick-borne disease questionnaire online and scored a 110 on it. 46 is considered highly likely of a tick-borne illness. I brought the results to a neurologist and he told me that “those [Lyme] doctors only want your money.”
In June 2017, I was hospitalized for my heart and still had no diagnosis.
I was alone in the hospital after meeting with a cardiologist, immunologist and more, and still no one knew what was wrong with me. I really couldn’t fight anymore.
When the doctors left the room, a nurse came back in after them and whispered to me, “Wendy, I think you have Lyme disease.”
“Please, can you help me?”
I said, please can you help me? She told me about a doctor in Florida and I was able to make an appointment with him that week. That nurse truly saved my life, and I am forever grateful for her.
My doctor started me on antibiotics before a blood test even came back positive because of how severe my symptoms were.
A year went by and I was truly haunted by the fact that some people couldn’t afford Lyme treatment, so I came up with the idea for the Lyme Treatment Foundation. We launched in February 2019.
The Lyme Treatment Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides medical treatment grants, worth up to $4,000 USD to people of all ages in the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
LTF also provides testing grants to patients in those countries and as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
Applications for both kinds of grants re-open on February 15. Click here for more information.
Dorothy Leland
Dorothy Leland is a longtime advocate and researcher focused on Lyme disease education, policy awareness, and patient support. She has contributed to numerous publications and works closely with medical professionals and organizations to improve understanding and treatment of tick-borne diseases.
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