*Originally published 5/7/17*
When I first got a headache five years ago, I never thought it would last this long. I could have never imagined the ways in which my life would change. When the doctors first told me I had Lyme disease, 6 months after my headache started, I let out a sigh of relief. I thought “Oh Lymes disease--they can fix that really quickly and I’ll feel better in no time.” I not only got the name wrong, but I got everything else about Lyme disease wrong too.
If you would have asked me then where I would be in May of 2017 I would have said the following: finishing up my sophomore year at Salisbury University, getting ready for my summer internship at some sort of TV station. Flash forward five years, and I am finishing up my second part-time semester at Montgomery College. Not where I thought I'd be, but still somewhere.
I never could have predicted the way my life would unfold; the relationships lost, the loss of my adolescence, the change in my life plan. Yet, Lyme has given me a lot in the past years. Some I'd like to keep- the amazing warriors I've met along the way, the opportunities to fight for what I believe in and most importantly a deep understanding not only of myself, but of our world. However, some things I'd like to give back- the constant pain, the heartbreak of missing out on life, the tens of thousands of dollars wasted on treatments.
There is no way of knowing when I got bit or how long I've had Lyme. I've been battling this for 5 years (that we know of) and just within the past year we've discovered 2 more co-infections that we never knew I had. There is no definitive test. There is no cure. Lyme is a constant uphill battle; sometimes you think you're reaching the top, but it turns out to just be a landing where you'll wait around for a bit before starting your journey again. This has been my life.
One week medicine could be working, the next it’s not. One round of IV antibiotics could make you feel like a million bucks and the second you go off it, you’re worse. Then, you go to try those same IV medicines again, and they do nothing. The Lyme spirochete is a sneaky, smart son of a gun. It knows when to attack and when to hide.
Lyme messes with you. It plays games and it pulls tricks. One minute you're fine dancing around having a good time, the next thing you know you're lying on the floor paralyzed. No one should have to live like this. Life should not be a game of chance.
This Lyme Disease Awareness Month, I am pulling out all the stops; I will be putting up posters and ribbons around my town to spread awareness and I am organizing a town Lyme Disease Challenge. I am tired of seeing my friends be sick. I am tired of seeing people with this disease be pushed aside by insurance companies and doctors who do not believe in Lyme. I am tired of witnessing the ignorance towards Lyme disease. I am tired of seeing people die from Lyme disease.
Each day I hear of more and more warriors who have lost their battle to this wretched disease, and as I round up year 5 with this disease, my drive and passion to fight only grows stronger. Some days I want to give up, too; throw in the towel and hide in the safety net of my heated blanket. Then, I remember the hundreds of thousands of my lymie brothers and sisters who are still fighting. If they’re going to fight, I’m going to fight. And if they get tired, I will fight for them, too. So I pick myself up, throw on a smile, and fight through my pain. We are in this together. We have to fight for our health when no one else will. We are not victims; we are warriors. And we will fight with everything we’ve got until there is a cure.
For more information on how to spread awareness in your town or to join the challenge check out this site:
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