Touched By Lyme
By Dorothy Kupcha Leland
This blog has several goals. First, to explore the personal side of Lyme disease and how it affects individuals and families. Second, to highlight useful information for people seeking answers about this complicated illness. Third, to help foster a sense of unity and shared purpose among the many diverse members of the Lyme community. Dorothy, who serves as President of LymeDisease.org, has a family member with Lyme disease. She is co-author of a book called When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide.
Georgia high schoolers are using CRISPR to tackle Lyme disease
Although Lyme disease is the most common vector‑borne illness in the United States, it remains one of the hardest to diagnose and treat. That’s why…
Could an infection be driving your child’s psychiatric symptoms?
In the Lyme world, these stories surface again and again. A child who was thriving suddenly shifts—mood swings, anxiety, trouble focusing, even hallucinations. This might…
A mother’s story: the nightmare in the leaf pile
When many people see a big, beautiful pile of colorful autumn leaves, it feels like an open invitation to dive in. The scene evokes joy,…
Science, stories, and solidarity: reflections from the ILADS annual conference
I recently returned from the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society’s Annual Scientific Conference, held this year in San Antonio, Texas. The event draws medical…
“How did we miss it?” A journalist’s search for his daughter’s diagnosis
Patrick Barkham, a respected British journalist and nature writer, has written a deeply personal and powerful piece in The Guardian about his daughter Milly’s long,…
Jesse Ruben’s “Monster” tells the story Lyme patients know all too well
Ten years ago, singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben was desperately ill with Lyme disease—wracked with pain, clouded by brain fog, and battling depression. In the midst of…
Yolanda Hadid writes of the “unknown hell” of Bella’s Lyme battle
This week, Yolanda Hadid—once a fixture in the fashion world, now a Lyme advocate and mother to internationally acclaimed model Bella Hadid—shared a deeply personal…
Is Babesia blocking your recovery from Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is increasingly being recognized as a complex chronic illness, often tangled up with co-infections and overlapping conditions that make it difficult to pinpoint…
New York has a plan to combat Lyme disease. Why is it still buried?
If you care about improving the lives of Lyme patients and protecting public health, you’ll want to read Mary Beth Pfeiffer’s latest exposé. Pfeiffer—author of…
The Lyme Ninja champions Lyme awareness on NBC Bay Area
Teenager Talan Yorn, aka The Lyme Ninja, has been getting a lot of media coverage since his semi-final round on American Ninja Warrior. In his…
Chronic Lyme disease: is the narrative finally shifting?
This week, The Wall Street Journal published a story with the striking headline: “Chronic Lyme disease was once dismissed. More doctors are coming around.” The…
Watch how Lyme Ninja’s big moment played out on American Ninja Warrior
In a sport defined by strength, speed, and stamina, teenager Talan Yorn brought something else to the American Ninja Warrior stage—resilience. Diagnosed with Lyme disease…