Bay Area Lyme Fund

• The Lausanne 10K (Switzerland) on October 26
• The SainteLyon 24KM trailrunning race in Lyon, France
• A 100K+ gravel cycling race in the spring of 2025
• And more ideas to come!

Hi everyone! Thank you for taking the time to check out our fundraiser.

Lyme Disease has been a constant in our life as a family for the last 26 years. We have been in and out of treatment our entire lives, but my mother, Charise, with much more intensity. Most recently, my mom has begun undergoing treatment for Lyme Carditis, a condition in which Lyme Disease directly affects the heart. She struggled extensively in order to find the correct treatment that she needed. Many doctors and physicians in the southern California area would not treat her as they either were afraid to administer the medication that was absolutely necessary in order to extend the lifetime of her heart, or they simply did not believe her condition was real. Thankfully, she was finally able to find the treatment that was needed (antibiotics through an IV chest port) after an exhaustive search and has already seen her ejection fraction raise from 25% to 55% in just a few months. She will continue treatment for the next 6-12 months, but the fight isn't over!

While my mom was lucky to eventually find the right doctor to treat her, this is not common in the Lyme community. It takes all the time out of being a parent, a teacher, an employee, a partner, etc. to find the right treatment, all the while, living in extremely ill conditions. One organization that is doing great work to raise awareness of not only Lyme Carditis, but Lyme Disease, in general, is the Bay Area Lyme Foundation .

For Lyme Disease Awareness Month this year, we want to do everything we can to make a difference. We're raising money to benefit Bay Area Lyme Fund, and any donation will help make an impact.  This GoFundMe page is directly linked to the Bay Area Lyme Fund account. We will not personally be accepting any funds that are donated through this page. This page will be open and accepting donations until June 30th! Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.

More information about Bay Area Lyme Fund: Bay Area Lyme Foundation is a national nonprofit organization providing philanthropic capital and research support to accelerate medical breakthroughs for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. Lyme is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the country with over 476,000 new cases each year and yet Lyme research is dramatically underfunded. Our aim is to transform the research landscape and engage the private sector in order to produce reliable diagnostics and treatments that work.

Need more information about Lyme Disease?

Send ticks for testing to: 
Tick Report 
Tick Check 

Labs for testing Lyme/tick-borne disease on people:
Igenex  (will send kit)
MD Lab  (will send kit)

Lab in Orange County that does labs for tickborne illnesses. Call ahead to get information on obtaining a kit and doctors authorization:
Arc Point Labs 

Doctor Locator:
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society 

Have any specific questions about Lyme Disease, finding treatment, or general questions about tick-borne illnesses? Please see the direct email to contact my mom at the end of our video!

Hi!

My name is Debbie Nelson and I live in Mountain View, CA. I am walking the Camino Portugues (approx 155 miles) through Portugal and Spain starting August 22, 2017 to raise money for Lyme disease research.  All funds will go to Bay Area Lyme Foundation (https://www.bayarealyme.org).  

My story:

My cousin Jane Davis contracted Lyme disease unknowingly 20 years ago. Although she didn't see any outward signs of being bitten by a tick, she thought a tick larva may have attached itself to her skin while working in her garden. She lived in Paradise, CA. She had it for approximately two years before she was diagnosed. She tried all types of treatments and traveled all over the country to hospitals and Lyme treatment centers but was never able to find relief. She passed away on Dec 22, 2016 due to neuropathic complications.I feel that this disease has no boundaries…anyone can contract it and it can completely alter life as we know it forever. My cousin was married to an OB/GYN with four young children at the time she contracted the disease. The disease took its toll financially and emotionally on the whole family. She missed watching her children grow up because she was unable to go outside and live a normal life. It affected her immediate family as well as her extended family and friends. We were heartbroken to witness a once beautiful, vibrant, fun loving young woman/mother become so desperately ill due to this disease….and there seemed to be nothing we could do to help her.

I chose Bay Area Lyme Disease Foundation to receive these donations because 100% of the proceeds go to new research, developing new diagnostic tools and therapies, and spreading the message about prevention and the importance of early treatment.
Every little bit can help and would be greatly appreciated!  Please contribute  what you can... and spread the word!

You can also follow my journey on the Camino on my blog.