Addy – Persevering and Prioritizing My Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health

Since I was little, I have had challenges that I had no idea were related to Lyme. I struggled immensely in school with various learning disabilities. I caught every virus that went around and was often left fatigued and nauseous and didn’t know why.

I was in 7th grade when COVID hit and I caught the virus. Suddenly my symptoms worsened. I developed chronic pain, POTS, new food allergies, insomnia, depression, dizzying brain fog and more. My Kaiser doctors blew off my symptoms and told me I was simply going through puberty and had anxiety.

Around that time, my mom was diagnosed with Lyme disease, and it was at that time our family went down the Lyme rabbit hole. This included learning about congenital Lyme. The signs quickly became clear that my mom (who also had many years of misdiagnosis) was unknowingly infected when she was pregnant with me. We tested as soon as we learned this. My bloodwork came back positive for Lyme, Babesia, Bartonella and tick-borne relapsing fever.

I finally had answers and a path to attempt to improve my health. This was a relief but also a burden as we learned Lyme treatment would be out of pocket. With a new diagnosis for myself, my mom (and my brother!), it was a financial strain to say the least.

At the age of 13, I received a LymeLight grant. This opened doors to treatment that would have otherwise been out of reach. It allowed me to see the appropriate practitioners who were able to guide me in the right direction and helped to pay for the many expenses that quickly added up. During a time when economic inflation was already a challenge, the load of this burden was lightened by LymeLight.

I’m 18 now. It took time, trial and error, and discipline to find what helped. It was a long journey but in time and with the right healing modalities, I improved. In the journey to recover my health, I became passionate about fitness and wellness. I realized there were many working parts that had to fall into place for me to feel well. I hated feeling like the odd one out in my high school years. I was absent from school constantly; I couldn’t keep up with my peers in more ways than one and I often felt misunderstood by my teachers and friends. But I persevered, while my friends prioritized their academics, I prioritized my physical, mental and spiritual health to heal.

Lyme victimizes us in many ways, but I always found it was important not to fall into a victim mentality. I continually pushed myself when I was able to. My senior year, I completed a 200-hour yoga instructor course. I also became obsessed with lifting weights and clean eating after realizing just how much this helped me feel well. I can’t say that I’m “cured,” but LymeLight set me on a path which led to vast improvement. I can do things now that were impossible at the beginning of this journey. LymeLight made that possible and I am so incredibly grateful.