Trial by Fire--Chris Michael Nimphius: Part 1

Nearly two years ago I was on spring break having the time of my life, partying quite hard as most college young adults do. I remember very vividly when my first symptoms started to manifest. It was the last night of our stay and we had just started out on our adventure towards debauchery.

We finally made it to the club, which was huge and could fit more than ten thousand people. One of my buddies was lagging behind. I told the rest of the people to go ahead and I would catch up with them while I waited for my friend. After some time I was informed that he wouldn’t be joining us, so I went ahead with my plans. I attempted to find the group that had gone ahead without me. 

While frantically looking for my friends, I suddenly became extremely lightheaded, light/noise sensitive, and I thought I was going to collapse at any moment. I was now even more panic-stricken and needed to find my friends. I tried to elicit all the energy left in my mind and body. Finally I located one of my friends and implored him to leave with me. This way if I was going to faint in this strange environment, at least I wouldn’t be alone.

We left the club and decided it was best to stop at a cafe for water. Maybe I was just extremely dehydrated. Much to my dismay this didn’t help. We finally made it back to the hotel, which seemed like an eternity. At least this was a refuge from the all impurities outside. I tried to sleep before we had to catch a flight back home in the morning, but I had no luck. Then the notorious preamble to Lyme started. Suddenly I had flu-like symptoms. I was freezing, yet sweating profusely at the same time.

A Series of Miracles--Victoria Bylin

“Something terrible happened to you.”

These are not words you want to hear from an ophthalmologist. At the time I was sitting in his fancy chair in a dark exam room, my eyes red and hurting, and my vision distorted in the way of pebbled glass. I had no idea at the time and neither did the ophthalmologist, but this was the beginning of my encounter with Lyme Disease. By a series of coincidences--I’d call them miracles--I was blessed to be diagnosed early and treated successfully.

My Lyme ordeal began while I was working at the computer. I blinked and thought, “I need new glasses.” A few moments later I looked in a mirror and saw that both eyes were bloodshot. I figured I had conjunctivitis and met a friend for lunch as planned. By the end of the meal, my eyes weren’t just red. They hurt every time I changed my focus. That evening I developed the strangest fever I’ve ever had. It spiked at 103 degrees and then disappeared.

I Will Make It Through--Tiffany Gonzalez: Part 2

What I saw and heard next changed my life. The news segment was about a documentary movie called Under Our Skin. They were saying how all these people were misdiagnosed for years, and eventually found out they had Lyme Disease. I couldn't believe my ears! While watching, I felt an instant connection with these people. They sounded like me; our stories were so similar. I felt like that was me on the TV--but wait--I had tested NEGATIVE for Lyme in the past.

The next day I couldn’t get the news segment out of my mind. I was ridiculously giddy. My naive self feels stupid about my excitement now. If only I knew what I was in for. I did online searches for the movie and looked up Lyme Disease in Chicago. I found the wonderful ChicagoLyme website and called their contact number. I left a voicemail for the woman, and didn't really expect a call back. No one believed me before, right? Why would someone call me back? Well, I got a call back from Lauren within a half hour. Wow! It turned out she was in the news segment. Her whole family has Lyme Disease; she lived right here in the suburbs. She directed me to where I could go for the much more accurate test called a Western Blot Blood Test done by IGeneX.

That day, I sent out a FB message and email to my friends, inviting them to come see Under Our Skin with me. No one responded. Who can blame them? They didn't know anything about this "Lyme" thing, and it didn't affect them, so why should they care? I get that. I do. At least my little sister Adriana came with me. Thank you! We saw the movie and I think I sobbed through most of it. I felt like the people on the screen were telling my story, without even knowing me. It was a crazy experience.

I Will Make it Through--Tiffany Gonzalez: Part 1

In the summer of 2004, I was bitten by a tick. I was told by my doctor’s office that I had nothing to worry about because the tick hadn't been in me long enough to do any harm. Usually the protocal is 24 hours; if it's in you for less time they THINK you wont have a problem. They told me to keep an eye out for the classic "bulls eye rash." If I got that, call them immediately. I never got the rash, so I didn't worry.

Not too long after the bite, I started with horrible headaches, abdominal pain, ringing in my ears, dizziness, constant flu-like symptoms, and over the years began getting joint pain, muscle pain, and extreme fatigue. Neurologic and cognitive issues became out of control. Things got much worse after a bad roll-over car accident I had in 2006, jolting my entire health system out of control.

Last summer (2009), I started forgetting what I was saying in the middle of every conversation. I started making myself talk really, really fast, just so I wouldn’t forget what I was talking about. My throat felt like it was closed up. I'd choke for no reason. I began dropping things, too. My hands twitched like crazy and I would sit on them all the time so no one would notice. They also began to cramp up and close. I would make myself hold large objects thinking that I could prevent the joints from wanting to close up. I had difficulty holding the steering wheel. My thighs trembled all the time and my knees would give out.

Be Your Own Advocate--Angela Coulombe

In August of 2007 I had just completed three things on my life’s “to-do list."
1. Kick through a solid 1/2″ piece of pine to obtain my brown belt in Tae Kwon Do
2. Appear on stage in a solo dance performance
3. Run the Beach to Beacon, a 10k race (which I had completed in 54:51.8 wah-hey!)

On top of a full-time job and raising two boys, I’ve always been a bit of an athlete; as a child I did gymnastics, tennis, dance, any sport going. As an adult, I ran, went to gym regularly, attended dance class and participated in TKD three times a week. I’d always been physically fit, cherishing this as my link to sanity and well being.

First Signs of Lyme Disease


The day after completing the Beach to Beacon, Aug. 4th, 2007, the area surrounding my right knee started swelling. Having injured my right knee several years earlier in another running incident, I thought, “No big deal. With a couple weeks of OT and rest, I’ll be fine.” I started therapy but after three weeks the swelling hadn’t gone down. During this time, I also started to notice that my shoulder joints were becoming sore, and it was difficult to sleep on either side due to the shoulder pain.

The OT’s were baffled as to why the swelling in my knee, now very noticeable even through trousers, wasn’t getting better. They scheduled an MRI. The pain in my leg fluctuated from highly uncomfortable to completely unbearable. I had been on Aleve and ibuprofen for weeks without it touching the pain or swelling, and I hoped the MRI would finally pinpoint the problem.

Living on Prayer and Team Work--Jessica Sundeen

My name is Jessica Sundeen. I am 29 years old and a single mom of three wonderful children. I've been suffering from Lyme Disease and Bartonella for almost nine years.

I was finally diagnosed in September 2007 after seeing numerous doctors, neurologists, chiropractors, physical and massage therapists, and several E.R. visits. Through all of these consultations, I was prescribed numerous medications that were harmful and unnecessary, and was diagnosed with many disorders that were not valid.

I moved to Grand Rapids in August '07, and I couldn't bear the symptoms anymore. I couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't get on the floor to change my son's diaper. I knew I had to take care of my children, so I worked full-time as a Pharmacy Technician. I finally got the answer to my problems in September, though I didn't know what the future was going to be like. I thought I could just take the antibiotics and be cured. I was wrong.

 The last years have been a nightmare. I'm still scared of the unknown. I've had numerous doctor visits, spinal taps, blood patches, blood work, brain images, trips to the E.R. and operating room, hospitalizations, PIC lines and Hickman ports. I've had comas, stroke, dementia, terrible fatigue, seizures, tremors, heart palpitations, Bell's Palsy, joint pain, muscle pain, tremors, migraines, elevated temperature, neck pain, back pain, tingling, numbness, stabbing pains, anxiety, buzzing in my ears, vertigo, ear pain, and fainting.

I have difficulty thinking, and issues with absorbing new information. I get lost all the time. I have word block and mood swings. It hurts to sleep. My liver, kidneys, and bladder shut down, and my lungs are depleted. I've been through the removal of my gall bladder, and I've been through malpractice. I have sensitive skin, broken capillaries, inflammation and nausea. I take two IVs a day and around 25 medications a day. In March of 2010 I was back in a wheel chair. My kidneys, liver and GI tract aren't doing well. We changed ABX IVs and other oral meds and and it's taking everything out of me. These are all the things I go through because of getting bitten by a deer tick.