You don’t have to understand it, you just have to have faith. – Serendipity

Sunday afternoon in Woodside was picture perfect: clear blue skies with temperatures in the low eighties. As I zipped up Woodside Road toward Folger’s Stables, I thought about the upcoming presentation on Lyme. I was about to see. I am not sure what made me click on “Order tickets” when I saw the event show up on my Facebook feed: I felt like I knew all that I wanted and needed to know about Lyme.

After I pulled into the shaded parking lot, I sat there for a second an thought about what I wanted to take away from the presentation.

“Hope” immediately came to mind.

I signed in and hovered over the materials the presenter was in the process of placing on the table. I introduced myself to her and detected a British accent. “My Mom was from the UK – Worcester,” I told her. That revelation brought a smile of recognition. “Ah, Worcester, so quaint!” she replied as she introduced herself as Jo Ellis from the Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

Jo asked me what brought me to the presentation.

“Hope. My two sons and I were diagnosed with Lyme last year” I told her. Jo’s warm eyes and kind smile were reassuring as she expressed sympathy for our diagnosis.

The presentation was informative and I found myself tearing up as Jo explained common symptoms, diagnoses, and the challenges of Lyme. Hearing these words out loud confirmed that what my boys and I had been struggling with is real, that it’s not in our heads, and that we are not crazy.

Unknowingly, I had been living with Lyme for 40 years and since that diagnosis, I have shared my story and my journey with close friends and family. My goal is to write and speak about my family’s experience and share the painstaking journey of how we reached our diagnosis, however, making that dream a reality – while battling Lyme – is daunting and overwhelming.

During Q & A, someone asked a question regarding living with Lyme. Jo looked at me and asked me if I’d like to share my story.

I gave a brief overview and my experience with Lyme as well as our treatment; it is very easy to become emotional when describing the hurdles we’ve had to overcome but on the flip slide, it’s also very cathartic. I was grateful for the opportunity to share.

When the presentation concluded, several people approached me and asked myriad questions about our diagnosis and treatment and shared their experiences with Lyme; it’s always a good feeling to share and connect.

I didn’t understand why I was pulled to attend the presentation; I registered based on a gut feeling or perhaps it was faith. In the end, I was doubly blessed: I received the hope and I had asked for while providing the gift of hope to others.

For more info and education: https://www.bayarealyme.org/