Lucky Dog

Meet Oz. He resides with my parents. He is very intellectual. He is a great swimmer (runs in the family). He sheds a lot. If you turn your back on him at the beach he’ll eat as many dead fish as he can before he is yanked away from the seafood buffet. He gets upset when you sit in “his” spot on the couch. He is not named after Ozzy Osbourne or the Wizard, he is named after Oswald State Penitentiary. He makes friends everywhere he goes. He has been vaccinated for Lyme disease.

Wait… what?

Yes, vaccinated for Lyme disease. Man’s best friend can be vaccinated for Lyme disease, but man can’t. 

You can read more about that here: http://www.wbur.org/2012/06/27/lyme-vaccine

Ripped from the Headlines

I am a huge fan of baseball and the NY Yankees. But today I am turning my attention to Tom Seaver and that other NY team... The Mets. For you non-baseball fans, Tom Seaver is a legendary pitcher whose career spanned 19 years. He played for four different teams but his time with the NY Mets is the most noted.  He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 with 98.8 % of the vote; the highest voting percentage ever. He and his wife own a vineyard in Napa that produces Cabernet Sauvignon in limited production (between 400-500 cases per year). Tom Seaver has Lyme disease and he recently spoke out about his battle. 

Click here to read an article that ran in the Daily News on March 15, 2013.

Click here for another article about Tom Seaver, where he is applauded for speaking out about his struggle with Lyme disease. 

Directly beneath the headline in the first article I linked to about Tom it reads: “It’s been a living hell of uncertainty, confusion, depression and downright fear". You hear this a lot when you speak with patients about Lyme disease, but for the most part it is spoken to each other in support groups and not written about in a national newspaper. It is a big deal that he chose to speak out about it, as evidenced by the second article I linked to which stated: “Tom Seaver continues to show his greatness and courage off the field as he did as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history,” said David Roth, co-chairman of the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance. “Thousands suffer from Lyme and other tick-borne diseases around the country and are afraid to tell family, friends or co-workers about their suffering because of the stigma attached to these devastating diseases. Tom Seaver has demonstrated that being open about tick-borne diseases is the critical first step to raising awareness as well as government and public support for research to eradicate these terrible illnesses. Everyone at TBDA wishes Tom Seaver and his family well during his recovery from Lyme.”

And now a smooth transition from baseball to "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" 

I have never watched RHOBH, but a few months ago a friend of mine who is an avid fan of the show mentioned to me that Yolanda Foster, one of the women featured on the show, had been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease and was openly discussing her experience. I did some research on her, and I am now a huge fan. She has a large on-line presence and interacts with all of her followers and fellow "Lyme Warriors". She recently received the Star Light Award from the Lyme Research Alliance (LRA). She was selected for the honor because she has spoken openly about her struggle with chronic Lyme disease and her strenuous treatment. Click here to view the speech she made at the LRA "Time for Lyme" Gala. It just shy of twelve minutes, but it is a very moving speech which gives a glimpse into the struggle that so many chronic Lyme disease patients go through. If you would like to know more about The LRA and their event, here is the full press release. 

I haven't been shy about discussing my experience with chronic Lyme disease, but it appears I am running against the norm. I do not have the social clout of Tom or Yolanda, so I am appreciative that they have chosen to share their stories as part of the effort to bring more awareness to a disease which is literally in our backyards. I hope this type of advocacy on behalf of Lyme disease patients eventually leads to more support for the research which will ultimately produce clearer guidelines for diagnosing and treating the disease.