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All Blog Posts

Lyme Disease Facial Palsy: Difference Between Bell's Palsy & Lyme
November 14, 2023
Learn about the connection between Lyme disease and facial palsy, a symptom of neurological Lyme disease. Discover the importance of early diagnosis and treatment to avoid long-term complications. Sin...
How to Show Someone With an Invisible Illness That You “See” Them
November 17, 2022
Invisible illnesses like Lyme disease are not always detected by your outward appearance. Here are 7 ways that you can show someone with an invisible illness that you “see” them.
The Impatient Patient
April 12, 2021
by Jennifer Crystal When would I get better? Why was I not seeing improvement every day? Recently a friend’s toddler son asked her for a snack. Holding his baby sister, my friend told her son he’d nee...
Beating the Winter Blues
March 8, 2021
Updated on 1.9.25
Isolation Takes a Toll
March 4, 2021
Madison Pinckney discusses what it's like to face isolation when healing from Lyme disease. I could be in a room full of people, but still feel alone. I’m trapped inside my head. While I may have made...
I Have Lyme Disease. Should I Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?
February 8, 2021
Spring Warnings: Beware of the Great Imitator
January 29, 2021
Lyme disease had been masquerading as a litany of other health issues for years, until Slater Lawrence finally got wise in time to take back control.
Staying the Course When the End is in Sight
January 11, 2021
by Jennifer Crystal
The Holidays: Ways to Participate When You Can’t Be There in Person
December 21, 2020
Updated on December 05, 2024 by Jennifer Crystal As a Lyme disease patient who has had to miss countless gatherings due to illness, I can tell you that while the holidays might not quite be the same t...
Wondering What to Say to a Lyme Patient? Try These Conversation Starters
November 15, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Living With Lyme Disease: The Beauty of Adaptation
November 3, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Living in the Present While Worrying About the Future
October 6, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Intravenous Antibiotics for Lyme: Pros, Cons, and the Lived Experience
September 3, 2020
Has your doctor recommended you get a PICC line to treat your Lyme disease? Here are the pros and cons of IV antibiotics for Lyme. When diagnosed right away, many cases of Lyme disease can be treated ...
Cooling Off When Swimming Isn’t an Option
August 19, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Corona With a Twist of Lyme: Part 4
August 13, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet
July 29, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
The Lyme Voices You Didn't Hear at TBDWG Meeting
July 23, 2020
The Tick-borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG) issued a public request to hear from patients willing to share their stories for its July 8, 2020 meeting. It’s an important part of these meetings, where ...
Calculating Risks
July 17, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
You Know Your Body Best
July 7, 2020
We grow up thinking of doctors as all-knowing. That whatever "the doctor" said—be it the Primary Care Physician, the family doctor, or the ER doctor—was once deemed absolute. This doesn’t have to be t...
The Comfort of Solidarity
June 19, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Speaking Up for the Immunocompromised
June 17, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Corona With a Twist of Lyme: Part 3
June 11, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
What a Difference a Year Makes
May 13, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Corona With a Twist of Lyme: Part 2
April 21, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
The Importance of Digging Deep
March 24, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Lyme Education Ambassadors: Active In the Community
March 10, 2020
Global Lyme Alliance’s (GLA) Lyme Education Ambassador Program (LEAP) has been busy since it began in August 2018, thanks to a growing team of dedicated volunteer Ambassadors
Mixed Messages: Finding Your Truth
February 20, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Hugging it Out: How Physical Connection Helps Us Heal
February 14, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
When Nothing’s Funny, Even Simulated Laughter Can Be Good Medicine
February 6, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
2020 Vision For Lyme Warriors
January 3, 2020
by Jennifer Crystal
Tick-Borne Disease: The Year in Review
December 29, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
The Difficulty—and Importance—of Asking for Help
October 22, 2019
Why is asking for help so hard? Sometimes it’s necessary, especially when you are chronically ill
William Beesmer: Why Giving Back is So Important for This Lyme Patient
October 16, 2019
Life hasn’t always been easy for William Beesmer, a life-long resident of West Hurley, New York. Born into an impoverished family in 1943, he and his 15 brothers and sisters grew up in a home without ...
End of Summer Season Doesn’t Mean End of Tick Season
August 29, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
Peer-to-Peer Support: A Personal Passion and Mission
August 28, 2019
GLA launched its Peer-to-Peer Mentor Support program in June 2019. The inspiration for this important program was our friend Kasey Passen.
A Call to Unite, Not Divide
August 25, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
How to Be an Advocate with Your Non-Lyme Doctor
August 16, 2019
Here are 10 tips to most effectively work with your non-Lyme doctor
Meet Team GLA for the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon
August 14, 2019
Meet the Team GLA runners for the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon. All 5 have personal reasons for taking on the 26.2 mile run through the streets of New York City.
Traveling With Tick-Borne Illness
August 5, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
Ticks are Everywhere. Don’t Believe Me? I was Bitten in My Own Bed.
August 2, 2019
By Caroline Lewis - UPDATED ON June 24, 2025
The Aches and Pains of Tick-Borne Illnesses
July 23, 2019
For those with Lyme disease, the physical pain can be incredibly uncomfortable and difficult to deal with. The first time I saw the award-winning Lyme documentary Under Our Skin, I was seated in the t...
Building Resilience
July 16, 2019
Lyme disease forces you to become incredibly resilient.
Not All Lyme Rashes Are Created Equal
July 8, 2019
Lyme disease: that’s the illness you get when you find a bulls-eye rash, right?
Men, Ticks, and Lyme Disease
June 28, 2019
Why do more men get diagnosed with Lyme disease than women? Is it chance? Is it job related (think about outdoor workers such as landscapers)? Or do they view the initial risk of a tick bite indiffere...
REGAINING CONTROL …of your day, life… Why agency is important for Lyme warriors
June 28, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
Reframing Restrictions
May 26, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
The Time Warp of Tick-Borne Illness
May 3, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
Living with Lyme: Treating Instead of Denying Yourself
April 19, 2019
When you have Lyme disease, how else can you fill yourself up rather than deplete yourself? Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. Many people engage in some kind of spring cleaning, whether it is a...
Be a Victor, Not a Victim
April 2, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
Don’t Settle For Good Enough
February 27, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
I Just Got Diagnosed with Lyme Disease. What Should I Do?
February 15, 2019
Welcome to the school of Lyme. Here are six tips for those newly diagnosed with Lyme disease. Every day, I receive emails from people who have recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease. As most of us ...
Financing Tick-Borne Disease
January 31, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
Can’t Versus Shouldn’t
January 25, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
A Different Kind of Lyme Journey
January 22, 2019
Brooke Procida Takes to the Road to Promote Lyme Disease Healing
A Tribute to Rick LaPierre, Our Friend and Advocate
January 14, 2019
Remembering our friend who advocated for patients with chronic illness
Starting Small in the New Year
January 4, 2019
by Jennifer Crystal
Hope For the Holidays
January 2, 2019
The holidays are supposed to be the happiest time of the year. But for many people with chronic illnesses—and others suffering in different ways—the holidays can be really difficult. If you’re bedridd...
Books and Resources That Have Helped Me On My Journey
December 19, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
The Value of Visualization
December 7, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
A Marathon Accomplishment by Team GLA Runners
December 6, 2018
Completing the TCS New York City Marathon, all 26.2 miles of it, is an amazing feat for anyone, let alone for those who suffer from Lyme. Yet last month, five Lyme warriors did exactly that, running t...
Avoiding Reminders Until You’re Ready
November 29, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
A Different Kind of Denial
November 23, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
Five Warriors Tackle the Ultimate Road Race for Lyme
November 6, 2018
Five runners gave new meaning to the term “Lyme warrior” on Sunday, November 4, 2018, as they completed in the largest marathon in the world—the TCS New York City Marathon.
Holidays: Relishing the In-Between Times
November 2, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
What Can the Red Sox Teach Us About Surviving Tick-Borne Illnesses?
October 22, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
School-Related Difficulties With Lyme Disease
October 2, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
Scheduling Life with Lyme Disease
September 25, 2018
Flexible vs. rigid? How keeping to a schedule can impact one’s life with Lyme disease. In 2007, I suffered a severe relapse of Lyme and two of its tick-borne co-infections Babesia and Ehrlichia. I had...
Having Hope When You Have Lyme
September 20, 2018
Struggling with the idea of hope when you have Lyme disease? Read on Hope is a tricky concept for patients with chronic illnesses. It is something everyone—healthy or sick—wants, but summoning hope is...
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
August 2, 2018
“Crazy dreams” as a result of neurological Lyme disease
Enjoying the Summer While Living with Lyme
July 27, 2018
Learn how to participate in fun Summer activities, while battling Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. When I first moved to Boston, I took a Duck Boat tour of the city. As the amphibious vehicle cruis...
Dealing with Lyme-related Fear
July 6, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
Looking back on Jordan Younger’s Battle with Lyme
June 22, 2018
Countless strange and debilitating symptoms sent Jordan Younger on a health journey that uncovered Lyme disease, eight co-infections, yeast, mold, and parasites. In this article, she shares her story ...
Tribute to The Men of Lyme
June 17, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
The Quiet Desperation of Chronic and Mental Illness
June 15, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
Things I Never Thought I Would Do Before Lyme
June 14, 2018
by Kerry J. Heckman
Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future
June 8, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
Adding Joy and Pleasure to Life, No Matter When
May 10, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
Lyme’s Life Lessons: Sonya Rolin and Tatiana Donald
May 8, 2018
INTRODUCING GLA GREENWICH GALA CO-CHAIRS: PART 3 OF SERIES
Gender and Lyme: Is Tick-Borne Disease Different for Women?
May 5, 2018
by Jennifer Crystal
A Mother and Daughter's 12-Year Quest for Answers: Astrid and Christina Womble
April 30, 2018
Introducing GLA Greenwich Gala Co-Chairs: Part 2 of Series
The Pros and Cons of Social Media When You Have Lyme
April 19, 2018
by Kerry J. Heckman
A Mother, A Supporter, A Lyme Warrior: Stephanie Ercegovic
April 18, 2018
Introducing GLA Greenwich Gala Co-Chairs: Part 1 of Series
Seasons of Lyme
March 30, 2018
The change in seasons is usually an exciting time for most, but the jump from season to season can be especially trying for Lyme patients.
Not Immune
January 3, 2018
by Erin Walker
Chronic Lyme Disease Series: Bryce's Story
November 27, 2017
Reprinted with the permission of itslyme.com #MyLymeLife
Marisol Thomas: Existing with Late-State Neurological Lyme Disease
October 23, 2017
Below is Marisol Thomas’ Honoree speech given at the 2017 Global Lyme Alliance New York Gala on October 11, 2017, printed in full with her permission.
Chronic Lyme Disease Series: Chelsea's Story
October 18, 2017
Reprinted with the permission of itslyme.com #MyLymeLife
I've Been Sick So Long I Can’t Remember What it Feels Like to be Healthy
September 19, 2017
by Kerry Heckman #MyLymeLife
Chronic Lyme Disease Series: Kelly's Story
September 15, 2017
By Kelly Gibson
A Letter to My Sick Self
June 16, 2017
by Bonnie van Geffen #MyLymeLife
When I Miss My Life Before Lyme
June 12, 2017
by Kerry Heckman #MyLymeLife
Fear of Lyme Reinfection
May 19, 2017
Hoping you don’t get another tick bite and Lyme reinfection this spring.