awareness Archives - A - Z on Lyme Disease

When A-Z Lyme meets The Mighty

Over an year ago I became a contributor to THE MIGHTY, meaning they accepted to publish on their website some of my Lyme related articles. They offered me the exposure I needed to voice my story and raise more awareness for Lyme disease.

Thanks to them, some of my articles were featured on Yahoo and Huffington Post. I couldn’t have reached a wider audience on my own. In addition, they added a direct link to my A-ZLYME.COM on each of my stories that they published. That little link they added, helped me increase the traffic to my website and have it rank higher on the Google search, which made it more accessible to other people.

What did I get from joining The Mighty community? More than I could have ever asked for. I got an incredible exposure for my Lyme disease awareness campaign and a supportive community that helped me move forward with my struggles. They made me see that I was not alone. I also got a lovely t-shirt that I proudly wear. It’s the one in the photo below.

On The Mighty’s platform, I connected with contributors and readers. Some of them were touched by different illnesses while others were simply looking for answers. What they had in common was the need for support. The Migthy offered just that: a digital health community that aimed to empower and connect people struggling with health challenges and disabilities.

Among the replies I got for my articles, I remember one from a Lyme-sufferer, a women from the states. She wrote to me, thanking me for voicing her cause and giving her hope for better days. Until that moment, I hadn’t fully grasped the impact my articles had on other Lyme sufferers, as I was more focused on preaching how to prevent Lyme or explaining others what it entailed to live with Lyme.

Her message made me understand that I needed it to open up and talk more about my personal experience with Lyme, which I did and continue to do. Otherwise how can one expect the rest of the world to know how it feels to live with an invisible illness, if he doesn’t talk about it? How can others know what he feels if he doesn’t share his struggle? Not everyone has the ability to read minds!

One year down the road and I still get asked why do I write for free about Lyme, or why do I refuse to put adds or monetize the website. My answer will always be the same: “Not everything is about the money!” When I created A-ZLYME I wanted it to address all possible questions related to Lyme, from A to Z, hence A-ZLYME.

It was designed to help those looking for information about Lyme disease and make their search easier by having all the data in one place. I know by experience it ain’t easy nor pleasant to spend long hours looking for information online while fighting brain fog and experiencing neurological symptoms of Lyme.

I might not have an answer for how to get rid of Lyme, but I learnt how to cope with it. I know that building mental strength helps the body perform at its peak which is key for living a happier life.

If you are struggling with a chronic illness or you have any health issues that you’d like to talk about with someone, you may want to have a look at THE MIGHTY and consider joining them.

RISK OF LYME DISEASE INCREASES WITHIN CANADA

The federal government allocated last year only $4 million for a research program meant to develop improved Lyme diagnosis, testing and treatment. Despite the fact that the Canadian health authorities have noted an increased number of cases of Lyme, the changes are not noticeable at all.

Nowadays Lyme disease seems to get more recognition than the previous years. (Not thanks to the government though!) It’s all due to the Lyme sufferers who turn to the media.

The pace is still incredibly slow. Yes, people hear more often about it, may learn a thing or two, but those who are directly concerned need more. They need reliable tests and access to proper care and treatment.

Within the last seven days, CTV covered the stories of two Lyme sufferers from Maritimes and Saskatoon. Sadly, their stories followed the same pattern. They had to get themselves diagnosed abroad and spend their lifetime savings on treatments which were not covered by the insurers.

It’s so frustrating to see that some many people can’t get proper help and they are being refused treatment. Why? For the simple reason that provincial governments still insist on saying that Lyme disease is rare within Canada and it is mostly contracted abroad.

Raising awareness about Lyme is crucial because it has turned into an epidemic on full swing.

Until when this controversial condition will be ignored by doctors? When will they learn and admit that Lyme is a global threat? Each year more and more cases of Lyme are being diagnosed all over the world, from North America to Australia.

The doctors need to be better educated on how to diagnose and recognize the signs and symptoms of this debilitating illness.

There is a dire warning saying that the tick population flourished due to the mild winter we had so far. Scientists claimed that we will be faced with an unseen outbreak of Lyme disease cases.

How many people and lives will be destroyed before a proper testing method is developed, not to mention a cure for Lyme disease?

THE LYME WARS

I am so glad to see that Lyme gets more media coverage. Hopefully this material from NBC New York will raise more awareness and bring some changes in the way this illness is diagnosed.

Here is the full documentary ” The Lyme Wars – Investigating a Public Health Crisis” aired on NBC on 23-27 October, 2017.