Baker Tilly is a large consulting firm with thousands of employees throughout the United States and the world. It also operates a charity called the Baker Tilly Foundation.

Every year, the foundation encourages Baker Tilly employees to apply for “Baker Tilly Wishes” grants to support their favorite non-profit organizations. In 2023, 15 such grants were given out.

My husband, Bob Leland, works for Baker Tilly. This year he was awarded a $10,000 grant to support our family’s favorite charity, LymeDisease.org.

Here’s the write-up Baker Tilley put on its website

By Tyler Fox, Baker Tilly

In 2005, Rachel Leland, daughter of Consultant Bob Leland, became seriously ill. At the age of 13, Rachel lost her mobility and experienced severe pain, and her doctors struggled to identify her condition. Bob and his wife, Dorothy, feared Rachel’s condition would never improve.  

Desperate for help, they reached out to LymeDisease.org, then called the California Lyme Disease Association, who steered them to doctors who knew how to diagnose and treat their daughter. The organization also connected them with support groups to meet with other families who were battling the disease.  

“Lyme disease is a debilitating bacterial infection, and we were thankful that we were able to find help for our daughter,” Bob said. “Though it took years, Rachel has since regained her mobility and now lives a healthy life as a speech therapist, which is a future none of us could imagine 15 years ago.” 

LymeDisease.org also operates a program called MyLymeData, with more than 17,000 participants. Partnering with scientists at the University of Washington and the University of California, Los Angeles, the project documents the experiences of Lyme disease patients to help drive research. 

Throughout the years, Dorothy continued to volunteer with the organization and has written articles, organized conferences and met with lawmakers. She was recently named LymeDisease.org’s president. Dorothy and Rachel co-authored the [forthcoming] book Finding Resilience: a Teen’s Journey Through Lyme Disease, based on Rachel’s journal that she kept throughout her diagnosis and recovery.  

“Rachel’s journey to where she is now was a long struggle, and while the disease is in remission, it could return at any time,” Bob said. “The funds given by the Baker Tilly Foundation will make a difference for everyone this organization touches and help find more answers for those afflicted.” 

Many thanks to the Baker Tilly Foundation for this generous gift. Learn more about the foundation here.

The book my daughter and I co-authored will be published on October 24. Learn more about it here.

TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, President of LymeDisease.org. She is co-author of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide, and of the forthcoming book Finding Resilience: A Teen’s Journey Through Lyme Disease. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org.