After running a letter about Lyme disease, advice columnist “Dear Abby” discloses her own husband’s experience with Lyme disease.

My eyes popped wide open at the headline on my computer screen: “Dear Abby: Speedy diagnosis essential for treatment of Lyme disease.” A Canadian reader told Abby that May is Lyme Awareness month, and wrote a bit about her own experience with Lyme disease. She also said, “If someone doesn’t recognize the symptoms and seek treatment immediately, Lyme disease becomes chronic and debilitating.” The letter included URLs for ILADS and the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation.  (Click here to read the column.)

My eyes opened even wider when I read Abby’s response. Turns out that her husband contracted Lyme a few years ago, “while sitting in a friend’s living room in California.”  The family’s dog had brought the ticks into the house. Abby’s husband developed a bull’s-eye rash and received prompt treatment, which worked. Then Abby says: “But not everyone is so fortunate, and people with chronic Lyme disease have been known to suffer for life. A word to the wise: be informed.”

The Dear Abby column is reportedly seen by 110 million people daily. Kudos to her for helping spread the word about Lyme disease. Let’s tell her how much we appreciate that. Comments can be posted here. 

TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, LymeDisease.org’s VP for Education and Outreach. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org. On Twitter, she’s @dorothyleland and LymeDisease.org is @LymeNews.