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.
TOUCHED BY LYME: Maneuvering the medical maze
I often tell new Lyme patients that two of the most important tools for fighting this disease are a three-ring binder and a hole punch…
TOUCHED BY LYME: When pain is simply unbearable
As a kid growing up in southern California in the 80s and 90s, Bryan Bower was a bit of a daredevil: BMX biking, rollerblading, skateboarding,…
TOUCHED BY LYME: How to save money on certain Lyme-related lab tests
Paying out-of-pocket for lab testing can take a hefty toll on your family’s pocketbook. Here’s one way to save.
TOUCHED BY LYME: Bringing in “Charlie Brown” to support the Lyme community
Combining her love of the theater with a desire to support the Lyme community, this student actor is staging a production of "You're a…
TOUCHED BY LYME: Taking Lyme awareness into Berkeley’s Tilden Park
Volunteers from East Bay Lyme Education & Patient Support (LEAPS) handed out Lyme literature and free tick repellent to recreationists at Tilden Regional Park on…
TOUCHED BY LYME: (guest blog) Proper tick removal, early treatment can reduce risk of disease
Is fear of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses keeping you from outdoor activities? Maryland Lyme advocate Lucy Barnes addresses this very real concern. While her…
TOUCHED BY LYME: Can you boil down your Lyme message to just a few words?
If you just had a couple of seconds to teach somebody about Lyme disease, what would you say? A group of Lyme activists in Sturbridge,…
TOUCHED BY LYME: Why one Minnesota PBS station yanked UNDER OUR SKIN
WDSE-WRPT, a PBS affiliate in Duluth, Minnesota, initially scheduled a May showing of the Lyme documentary. Learn why the station then changed its mind.
TOUCHED BY LYME: (guest blog) Sleepless in Berkeley: how Lyme messes with your head and your heart
Guest blogger Bob Cowart, who has been diagnosed with both neurological Lyme disease and Parkinson's, articulates some everyday realities of dealing with those conditions. He…
TOUCHED BY LYME: After “Rambo daughter” succumbs to Lyme, dad dedicates himself to teaching others
He called Lori his "Rambo daughter," a strong athletic soldier who liked to run marathons. But after a tick bite gave her Lyme disease none…
TOUCHED BY LYME: “Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa!”
(Book review) Who knew the IDSA Lyme treatment guidelines could be fodder for a rip-snorting mystery story?
TOUCHED BY LYME: Hope for those who have fallen through the medical cracks
(Book review) In his book, ON HOPE AND HEALING: FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN THROUGH THE MEDICAL CRACKS, Dr. Neil Nathan uses the tools of…