Because of GoFundMe fees, I’ve had so many reach out for other payment methods. I am beyond blown away and SO appreciative. Here is my Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/hunterdyou

This is the most humbling thing I have ever done and the most debilitating illness I have ever experienced. Lyme disease has completely altered my life. Below, I share the full story of my ongoing battle with Lyme disease and resources for anyone navigating Lyme disease.

I understand that not everyone is in a position to give, especially in today’s economy. If you take nothing else from this, please check for ticks especially for yourself and for the people you love. We urgently need greater awareness, better insurance coverage, and real accountability when it comes to Lyme disease. Too many patients are dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit while their health declines. I have been failed tremendously from our healthcare system and would not be in this predicament had I been listened to.

If my journey brings awareness, encourages advocacy, or helps someone feel less alone, then telling it is worth it.

MY STORY:

In late 2023, my health began to decline suddenly and unexpectedly. Prior to this, I was a healthy, active 28 year old living a sober, physically active, and health-conscious lifestyle. Between September and October 2023, I developed sudden and progressively worsening symptoms that prompted immediate medical attention.

Over the following year, I saw more than twenty medical providers and made repeated hospital visits searching for answers. Despite clear and escalating physical and cognitive symptoms, I was repeatedly told my condition was anxiety-related. Meanwhile, my health continued to deteriorate. My symptoms include severe neurological impairment, cardiac abnormalities, shortness of breath, near-syncope, persistent fevers, cognitive dysfunction, vision and hearing changes, chronic head pressure, severe weight loss, profound fatigue, etc.

I documented my symptoms daily, filling entire pages and eventually creating detailed logs and spreadsheets. Using my background in research, I cross-referenced diagnoses, calculated probabilities, and narrowed down conditions I had not yet been tested for. I knew what I was experiencing was not anxiety. I could not fabricate the volume or severity of physical symptoms that were stripping away my ability to function. Despite eliminating all toxins, switching to organic whole foods, and dedicating my life entirely to health-conscious living, I continued to decline. At times, the dismissal made me feel like I was losing my sanity. I truly felt I was making it up in my head.

In July 2025, after nearly a year of worsening symptoms, I reached a breaking point. On a random weekday, desperate for answers, I scheduled five medical appointments in a single day. I was determined to find a physician willing to listen and run the tests I had been requesting for months. Any provider who dismissed me, I respectfully thanked and moved on to the next appointment. Finally, a doctor recognized that someone as active and health-conscious as I was should not be experiencing such severe symptoms and agreed to run comprehensive testing.

That testing led to my diagnosis: Lyme disease.

By the time I was diagnosed, the prolonged delay in recognition and treatment had allowed the infection to cause serious secondary complications, some of which I now have to live with for the rest of my life, including autoimmune disorders, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), chronic viral reactivation, neuroinflammation, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), and a first-degree heart block. One tick bite transmitted multiple infections and permanently altered my health. Had I been listened to earlier, much of this damage could have been prevented.

I continued working as long as I possibly could, but early 2025 my ability to function declined sharply. By summer 2025, I was missing significant time from work, and by August 2025 I became fully unable to work. Professionally, I am still unable to work.

Personally, Lyme disease has taken so much from me. I went from living an active, outdoor lifestyle such as climbing mountains, snowboarding, hiking, fishing, and fully embracing nature to struggling to make it up my own stairs, needing to sit while showering or cooking, and even impacting the ability to drive. The outdoors has always been where I feel most alive, and losing that part of myself has been one of the hardest parts of this illness. Losing some of my independence has also been incredibly challenging. I’m grateful for the independence I still have, but I never imagined being left so limited by a tick bite and a delayed diagnosis. Most weeks, I see fluorescent hospital lights more than I see my own room, much less the outdoors.

Treatment to date has been extensive and aggressive. I have undergone IV antibiotics through a PICC line, multiple rounds of oral antibiotics, herbal and protocol-based treatments, acupuncture, psychotherapy, Chinese medicine, and numerous adjunct therapies, etc. Despite this, my symptoms remain severe. I continue to experience persistent fevers, significant exertional intolerance, neurological and cardiac symptoms, and the list goes on as symptoms are unpredictable. I maintain a strict medical diet, a daily medication and supplement regimen, and attend up to thirteen medical appointments per week.

Financially, this illness has been devastating. I have spent more than a full year’s salary out of pocket on testing, treatment, and specialist care; much of which is not covered by insurance. Lyme disease is not recognized by insurance as a condition capable of causing this level of devastation. Proper Lyme testing is often not covered at all, and treatment beyond basic antibiotics is routinely denied.

At this stage, my medical team is recommending care with Lyme-literate physicians in NE Colorado over 3.5 hours away from my home. This will require temporary relocation for a minimum of three months. The clinic and associated therapies are not covered by insurance, but at this point, it represents my best and possibly only path forward. My intake appointment is February 2nd at 8:00am. I hope to begin treatment and relocate as soon as I am given the green light. I will require assistance to move all medical equipment and items temporarily. I will be at the clinic every day for minimum of 8-hours per day with treatment through a central line.

I am asking for help because I have exhausted every personal, financial, and insurance-based avenue available to me. My health has become my full-time job, requiring constant attention, discipline, and resilience. Despite everything, I remain deeply motivated to heal. I refuse to accept this as my fate. My family and close friends are helping when and where they can immensely.

Funds raised will go directly toward medical care and treatment during this critical phase of care. My goal is to regain functional independence, return to work, and eventually use my experience to advocate for others facing delayed diagnosis and complex tick-borne illness. Any remaining or unused funds will go to a non-profit raising awareness for Lyme disease.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, for any support you are able to offer, and for helping me continue this fight. PLEASE CHECK FOR TICKS!

LYME DISEASE RESOURCES:

• LymeDisease.org – National nonprofit offering education, advocacy, clinician directories, insurance/disability info, and community resources for Lyme and tick‑borne illnesses.

• Global Lyme Alliance (GLA) – Provides patient support, educational library, specialist finder, clinical trial info, financial resource lists, and peer mentoring programs.

• Lyme Disease Resource Center, Inc. – A volunteer‑run nonprofit offering free peer support groups, one‑on‑one peer counseling, and holistic therapy resources for those living with Lyme and tick‑borne illnesses.

• LymeCare Alliance – Provides education, counseling support, up‑to‑date Lyme info, community connection, and clinician referrals to help navigate Lyme disease.

• Lyme Fight Foundation – Focuses on education, awareness, support groups, and practical information about Lyme and co‑infections (organized community support).

• American Lyme Disease Foundation (ALDF) – Offers comprehensive, reliable Lyme disease info on symptoms, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment along with educational videos and FAQs.

• Lyme Disease Network (LymeNet) – A long‑standing public education and community forum for prevention and treatment info on Lyme and other tick‑borne illnesses.

• Lyme Treatment Foundation, Inc. – A nonprofit that provides medical treatment grants (up to several thousand dollars) for Lyme testing and treatment for people in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Germany. (I did not qualify for this grant)

• CDC Lyme Disease Resources – Official U.S. public health information on Lyme disease symptoms, prevention, tick removal guidance, and testing basics, etc.

• International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) – A professional medical society that educates clinicians and patients on Lyme and tick‑borne diseases; includes provider search tools and alternative treatment guidelines (views vary in the medical community).

• LymeDisease.org Physician Directory – Helps patients locate Lyme‑literate doctors and specialists experienced with tick‑borne illness (membership may be required).

• Global Lyme Alliance Specialist Finder – Search for clinicians knowledgeable in Lyme and co‑infection care via their physician finder tool.

Global Lyme Alliance

• ILADS Provider Search (ILADS.org) – Lists physicians and healthcare providers focused on tick‑borne disease treatment and education.