*Originally published 6/25/18*
My Lyme friend Abby was here for a week and it was AMAZING!! We had so much fun I can’t even begin to express how much I loved having her here!
While she was here, we went swimming and I realized this is the first time we have ever gone swimming together. The past few times we got together, I had my PICC lines in and was unable to go in the water.
This got me thinking about all the things I missed out on in these past six summers. Many of my last few summers have been spent in dark rooms, sleeping my life away. Even when I didn’t have the PICC lines, I was usually too tired to swim and my medicines made me sick in the sunlight. I think about the experiences I’ve missed, the friendships lost, and the time wasted all because I was too sick to actively participate.
Recently, I went hiking with some friends. It was exhilarating and frightening all at the same time. All I could think about was ticks. Ticks, ticks, ticks. I didn’t really care if I got bit (although I did take all the precautions―pants tucked into my socks, tick repellent, etc.) because if I get bit and get worse again, I know I am strong enough to beat this thing. I just don’t want my friends, or anyone else for that matter, to get sick.
This week I will be joining Dr. Fox on our first stop of the Lyme Education Tour! For the next few weeks we will be going to over 8 states and educating close to 1,000 kids from all over the world on Lyme disease. I never want to hear of another kid sleeping their adolescence away, or missing out on all the summer fun, because they have Lyme disease.
Education and prevention is KEY to ending the worldwide epidemic that is Lyme disease. I lost my adolescence and I’ve watched fellow warriors lose their lives to this horrible disease and it must end now. Please take a minute to learn about and educate others on Lyme disease, and together, we can work to end the epidemic.
For updates on our Lyme Education Tour follow along on our Facebook page:
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