Bite Back For A Cure

[sf_mom]

I wanted to post this Facebook link because John is a Lyme suffer probably from the age of 9. He had many neurological symptoms including OCD. He is now 24 years old, not currently being treated and riding his bike across America to raise awareness for Lyme. Always nice to read or hear about recovery stories.

 

As a family, we had the pleasure of hosting John and sending him off over the GG Bridge as he started his bike ride. In one video he discusses the impact of pediatric Lyme and the devastation it causes.

 

https://www.facebook.com/TBDAlliance

[philamom]

Very nice SF Mom. Kudos! I also was considering extending an invitation.

[sf_mom]

He is a thoughtful person. Easy to be around.... even went to the kids soccer game on a Saturday morning. I highly recommend extending an invitation. He inspired our older son who is just starting to understand the impact of his Lyme Disease.

[philamom]

Here is some more info from TBDA:

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

 

 

I'm biking across America to raise awareness about Lyme disease and all tick-borne diseases (TBDs)--illnesses that my family has suffered from and that I feel strongly about--and would like to meet with you along the way, if you're open to it.

 

 

 

My name is John Donnally and I'm a 24-year-old Lyme disease advocate. I'm not a cyclist actually, or at least I wasn't until I started training for this ride 5 months ago. I picked up cycling because I thought a cross-country ride would be an excellent way to bring attention to TBDs and generate funding for new research. Ultimately, though, this type of journey is only as meaningful as the people with whom I share it. I'm biking in search of those affected by these diseases and their stories. TBDs can be illnesses of great controversies and divisions; listening to and sharing stories of patients across the country, I think, is a way to find resonance and create a sense of community.

 

 

 

Here's my story in brief: I, both of my parents, my younger sister, and my aunt, have all suffered from Lyme disease. I dealt with a wide-range of health issues, everything from neck pain to chronic sinus infections to neurological problems, from as early as 9-years-old. Doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. My family frankly knew almost nothing about Lyme, and I went undiagnosed and misdiagnosed for four years. It wasn't until half of my face went paralyzed when I was 13 that I was officially tested for and diagnosed with Lyme disease.

 

 

 

During college, old symptoms returned, gradually at first, and after a year of trying to push through some bizarre and debilitating health issues and receiving misdiagnoses, I was diagnosed with late-stage Lyme. What happened to me isn't exceptional, I've learned. After speaking with other patients, I recognized just how many people go undiagnosed and how much we don't know about these diseases. I wanted to take on a project that would address some of the problems surrounding these diseases, and prevent others from going through what too many have already.

 

 

 

I've partnered with the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance (TBD) in their campaign to Bite Back For A Cure. Raising awareness about these diseases and generating funding for new research are critically important goals of the campaign. This is a project that's been developing for several months, and we feel that we now have all of the makings of a really successful campaign.

 

 

 

The only thing that's missing is You. If you're interested in being a part of this project by sharing your story, biking some miles, or offering a couch for me to crash on, please let me know! The success and reach of this trip depends on the support I receive from you.

 

 

 

I hope you will join me as we ride across the country. Please view TBDA's interactive map http://trackleaders.com/tbdaxc13. I would like to engage with everyone I meet, I need a warm bed, home cooked meals, and most importantly SUPPORT! Please also follow my blog at http://www.tbdalliance.org/getinformed/tbdablog. Donations would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

 

Thank you,

 

John Donnally

 

#CureLyme

 

www.tbdalliance.org

[sf_mom]

Wanted to mention John is now in Kansas if anyone lives there and is suffering from Lyme reach out to him via FB.

[qannie47]

WOW! It is truly people like him who make a difference.....What an amazing young man....