Today marks the end of year 4 of treatment and the day a call changed everything. A diagnosis of Lyme will change everything in your life as well as those around you. It is the ending of the “you” you once knew and the beginning of a fight. It takes time to accept all you were handed and stop asking the “why me”, though there are days you are not at your strongest. 

 

As I enter this coming year, I take a step back on my treatment as there is someone very special to me that needs my energy and love. In August, we received the call that my youngest daughter has Lyme and POTS. It was a devastating moment and the last few months have been beyond heart breaking. The young lady that in 7th grade was told she would never run again due to a rare knee condition, with the help of gifted doctors proved us all wrong and made it to the Jr. Olympics as a long distance runner, is now given yet another hurdle. Her determination and drive knows no bounds and I pray and hope that continues in this next struggle she was given. My poor sweetheart now spends her Fridays traveling to her IV treatments, her weekends recovering and her weeks juggling handfuls of pills hoping she can make it through her classes and the day. This awful disease has ended her collegiate running career, moved her to a new college closer to home, and stripped her of the college experience she so very much deserves. To watch your child suffer more than breaks your heart, it leaves you empty. One should never see their child attached to an IV pole every week or watch them struggle to keep up with the endless amounts of pills to be taken. 

 

Treatment for Lyme has increased tenfold over the years. What I thought was hard to pay is yet even harder. Doctor visits are $800 an hour and Iv’s are around $500 each and that does not cover the endless medications, all of course not covered by insurance. There is no amount of money one wouldn’t pay to heal their child but does it really need to be so extreme? The unfairness of it all is beyond comprehension. 

 

I pray and hope her suffering is short lived and she is granted the life she has worked so hard for. Her desire to become a doctor has intensified through this journey and I just know she will make it a reality. The world needs her kind heart and knowledge. 

 

Your world stops when your babies are unwell. Though it reminds you of how precious every second truly is. As this holiday season approaches and the new year begins, remember to appreciate all you have been given, those who love you and your health. It is a time to be thankful and a time to cherish. 

 

Hugs,

Mel