Madi Peters is a 22-year-old medical school student from Canada training to become a Naturopathic Doctor (ND). Her Lyme disease experience has shaped her life, values, and passions. She soon will be helping others suffering from chronic Lyme disease once she completes medical school.

Prior to getting sick, Ms. Peters was a very active teenager engaged in competitive dance, teaching gymnastics, participating in her school’s swim team, and actively serving as a member of her school’s student council. Suddenly, she went from an extremely active, social, and academically successful teenager to becoming debilitatingly ill and bedridden.

Ms. Peters’ Lyme journey began when she was 16 years old in eleventh grade. She visited over 20 doctors during a one-year period prior to getting her Lyme disease diagnosis. Some of Ms. Peters’ symptoms included debilitating migraines, extreme fatigue, noise and light sensitivity, dizziness, brain fog, and many more neurological and systemic symptoms.

Many doctors misdiagnosed Ms. Peters’ with things like a concussion, chronic daily tension headaches, stress, overexertion, and some even said she was making it all up in her head. She had numerous MRIs, CAT scans, spinal taps, and other tests which couldn’t find anything wrong with her.

Finally, Ms. Peters found Dr. Maureen McShane in New York who diagnosed her with Lyme disease through a clinical assessment followed up with an IGeneX blood test. She has also used ArminLabs in Germany as well as the Immunosciences Lab out of California to validate her Lyme diagnosis.

Ms. Peters first treated with Dr. McShane using oral and IV antibiotics prior to treating at the Sponaugle Wellness Institute in Florida which utilized heavy detox protocols, IV supplements, herbal tinctures, infrared saunas, colonics, and more for 4 months. The institute also discovered that she had mold toxicity and fungal infections which were preventing her from healing. She continued with the recommended treatment once back home in Canada. Once stopping treatment last year, Ms. Peters has stayed on a maintenance protocol which includes immune support and detox tools.

If you would like to learn more about how a young woman didn’t let Lyme disease take her down and is now using her experiences to help others in the Lyme disease community, then tune in now!

PS Christa Nannos special guest co-hosted this interview with Matt from Tick Boot Camp!

Liz Campbell is a 23-year-old Health Coach residing in the shadow of South Carolina’s storied Clemson University. She is working to enhance her coaching skill sets by enrollment in a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) course of study.

Ms. Campbell’s Lyme disease experience began with a month-long flu followed by severe fatigue. Weight gain, joint pain, and insomnia were added to her fatigue symptoms triggering a health crash that rendered her housebound and unable to attend school for 9 months.

The changes caused by her health decline rendered Ms. Campbell unrecognizable to herself and her family. When doctors were unable to provide her with a diagnosis, she began to feel that she was “lazy” and “had abandoned herself.”

She was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease by a doctor utilizing muscle testing. A diagnosis allowed her to build a team of health care practitioners that offered a diverse set of treatment tools including antibiotics, herbs, homeopathic medicine, ozone therapy, and high dose vitamin C.

She was unable to overcome her final hurdle until she realized her “brain was working against her.” Utilizing brain retraining (DNRS) she reset her brain, learned how to manage her stress levels, and returned to a life where she could do “whatever [she] wants to do.”

If you would like to learn more about how a health coach is teaching her clients how to use self-regulation of the nervous system to break the chains of Lyme disease bondage, then tune in now!

Crystal Hefner is a multi-talented 35-year-old artist, model, entrepreneur, philanthropist and travel blogger from Los Angeles, California.

The foundation for Ms. Hefner’s chronic Lyme disease journey was built on the footings of the iconic Playboy lifestyle. While married to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, she resided in a mold infested mansion surrounded by emotionally unhealthy people.

In 2015, Ms. Hefner fell ill and sought treatment from medical doctors. Confused by classic Lyme symptoms, her doctors settled on a “waste basket diagnosis of stress.” Unfortunately, the opportunity for an early diagnosis was missed because Ms. Hefner accepted the conventional wisdom that “there is no Lyme disease in California.”

Diagnosed with Lyme, Bartonella, and Babesia by IGeneX labs, she began to treat with an elite Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD). All treatment tools were rendered ineffective until Ms. Hefner honored her “intuition” and took steps to remove all toxins from her environment. She underwent breast explant surgery, contracted a $2 million mold remediation of her home, and removed toxic people from her social circle.

If you would like to learn how a multi-talented artist discovered that healing from Lyme disease begins with removing all physical, emotional, and social toxins from your environment, then tune in now!

Julie Yakunich is a 40-year-old Integrative Health Practitioner and Certified Health Coach specializing in Lyme disease from Chicago, Illinois. She has her own private practice, Get Well with Julie, and sees Lyme and chronic illness patients at Case Integrative Health.

Ms. Yakunich’s battle with Lyme began when she was 29 years old after living a very active and high functioning life while working, attending graduate school at night, and traveling around the world in her free time. Her first symptoms were random fainting spells that started to become more frequent.

As time went on, Ms. Yakunich’s symptoms progressed and included constant severe headaches, air hunger, brain fog, fatigue, pain, tremors, blurry vision, and more. She visited 26 doctors over 5 years and none of them properly diagnosed her with Lyme disease.

Many doctors misdiagnosed Ms. Yakunich with brain tumors, cysts, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), migraines, food allergies, asthma, hypothyroidism, and more. Eventually, she found a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) in Portland, Oregon, who diagnosed her with Lyme disease through an IGeneX blood test.

Ms. Yakunich was treated using a combination of oral antibiotics for 20 months. She also used a wide variety of immunotherapies, herbs, ozone therapy, IV glutathione, and more to aid in her healing.

After regaining her health, Ms. Yakunich climbed Mount St Helens with her siblings and friends and raised money for the LivLyme Foundation during this event.

If you would like to learn more about how Ms. Yakunich went from being completely homebound and bedridden for almost 2 years to climbing a mountain and now helping others heal from chronic Lyme disease, then tune in now!

Elected officials from around the United States joined leading Lyme disease advocates to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Advocacy Express which flipped over 40 representatives to now support Lyme legislation!

Tune in to listen to Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner (Long Island, New York), Brookhaven Town Councilman Kevin LaValle (Long Island, New York), New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright, and Michigan State Representative Karen Whitsett

These elected officials share their personal Lyme experiences, what they’ve done to help the Lyme community, and how you can personally advocate for Lyme disease to your elected representatives

This discussion is followed up with a question-and-answer session from members of the Lyme community before concluding with a patient advocate discussion with Matt Sabatello and Rich Johannesen from Tick Boot Camp, Ali Moresco, Jenny Buttaccio, and Jennifer Hoffmann.

Advocacy Express is a platform that enables you to magnify your voice to your representatives. Ali Moresco founded Advocacy Express to automate Lyme disease advocacy by systematically mailing letters written by policy experts to your elected officials for the cost of a stamp.

If you would like to hear from elected officials who have personally been impacted by tick-borne illness and learn a variety of ways you can advocate for the Lyme community, then tune in now!

Amanda Rojas is a 31-year-old medical collections supervisor. She is planning on continuing her college education soon and wants to help others navigate through the craziness of Lyme disease.

Ms. Rojas’ battle with Lyme began at Christmas time when she was 25 years old. She visited over 30 doctors, specialists, urgent care facilities, and hospitals, but none of them could discover the root cause of her problems.

Many doctors misdiagnosed Ms. Rojas with psychological disorders and other conditions like Fibromyalgia and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV). Eventually, she found a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) who diagnosed her with Lyme disease through a Vibrant Labs test.

Ms. Rojas started treating using the kill, bind, and sweat treatment method which kickstarted her healing. She continued her treatment journey by visiting LymeStop. Most recently, she has started Vital Side Brain retraining to heal her limbic system.

If you would like to learn more about how a driven young woman located her Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment by never giving up and continuing to take action, then tune in now!

Julie Comble is a 23-year-old student and online tutor from Paris, France. She is studying English and Modern Literature at Sorbonne University, Paris.

Ms. Comble’s Lyme disease journey began with severe fatigue in her early teens. Three months after her parents terminated an unstable and often volatile relationship, she suffered a rapid acceleration of symptoms. She lost 17 pounds, suffered severe fatigue, neurological deficits, heart symptoms, and back, leg, arm, and foot pain.

Unfortunately, the proximity of the chronic symptoms to her parents’ divorce caused her doctors to misdiagnose her with mental health disorders related to her family’s trauma. After treating with scores of doctors over several years, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease by a French Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD).

Her doctors treated her with “many treatments” both traditional and natural, including antibiotics, anti-parasitics, probiotics, amino acids, herbs, and the “game changing” cycling of Rocephin and Malarone.

If you would like to learn more about how a young woman overcame systemic French Lyme disease denialism and diagnostic flaws before securing life altering medical treatment, then tune in now!

Hana-li Pendery is a 33-year-old entertainer, public speaker, business owner and entrepreneur. Her artistic parents named her in homage to the Peter, Paul & Mary classic song Puff the Magic Dragon.

Ms. Pendery’s battle with the Lyme dragon began when she was “about 16 years old." She managed her symptoms for over a decade until she lost the ability to sleep. Eventually her sleep disorder was diagnosed by a doctor who tested her for Lyme disease.

Knowing there was an answer to her health challenges, Ms. Pendery visited with almost every natural doctor in Florida to first diagnose and then treat her illness. Her treatment journey was guided by listening to her body’s signals that led her to utilize muscle testing, herbal supplements, ozone saunas, and ozone and UV light therapy.

If you would like to learn more about how an artist located her Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment by following her body’s signals, then tune in now!

Liz Walcott is a 36-year-old MBA/ CPA and serial entrepreneur residing in New York City, New York.

Ms. Walcott’s Lyme disease journey began in 2012 when she was “burning the candle at both ends” while working at a top US accounting firm In New York City. For several years she excelled in a demanding corporate culture with a code of conduct that required spin/workout classes before breakfast, long office hours, and mandatory after-hours social obligations.

Shortly after returning from a Hamptons share house summer retreat, she began to feel “heavy cold sweats, heart racing” and fear. She was “otherwise in great shape… so [she] knew something was wrong.” Her symptoms worsened to include neurological deficits, shortness of breath, tingling, and light sensitivity eventually rendering unable to work.

After visiting 15 doctors over 3 years, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease by an infectious disease doctor. After her diagnosis she utilized antibiotic therapy prescribed by one of the top LLMDs in the US, EBO2 ozone therapy, stem cell therapy and biomagnetism for pain management.

If you would like to learn more about how Liz Wolcott utilized “body confidence” and “modeling people who were successful” to regain her health, become a parent, and start a new business venture, then tune in now!

Dr. Timothy Haystead is a UK-educated Doctor of Biochemistry, University Professor, entrepreneur, and world-renowned scientific researcher.

Dr. Haystead graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Biochemistry from Cardiff University (United Kingdom) and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Dundee (United Kingdom).

He and his wife (a medical doctor) immigrated to the US to “seek adventure” in a new country. Dr. Haystead’s career in academia commenced in Seattle, traveled through the University of Virginia, and drew to a stop at the prestigious Duke University. During his adventures in academia, he trained under and worked with four Nobel Laureate scientists.

Dr. Haystead’s entrepreneurial efforts developed a drug discovery platform to take guesswork or “luck” out of the process of identifying disease diagnostic and treatment tools. He founded two companies to develop and commercialize his drug discovery platform. He sold his first company, named Serenex, to Pfizer. He is working to build a new company that he started out of a “garage” in close proximity to Duke University.

After meeting and working with the famous Duke University Lyme disease researcher, Dr. Neil Spector, he was inspired to use his drug discovery platform to pioneer diagnostic and treatment tools for Lyme disease. Dr. Haystead’s Lyme research has earned the recognition and support of grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US Department of Defense, Cohen Foundation, and the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. The grant-funded research is being conducted in collaboration with researchers from Duke, Tulane, and NC State University.

If you would like to learn more about how Dr. Haystead is working to pioneer tools to detect and eliminate Lyme bacteria by destroying its DNA, then tune in now!