I recently had the pleasure of attending the 2023 4th Annual LivLyme Summit. The event was free and virtual, making it broadly available to anyone who wanted to attend.

All total, there were 1,640 individuals registered from 34 different countries. Clearly, Lyme disease is a significant public health concern in many parts of the world.

This year’s LivLyme Summit featured 20 different experts, researchers, clinicians and government officials covering topics from alpha-gal allergies to Lyme-X.

Speaker line-up

Much like my own daughter did, Olivia Goodreau saw dozens of doctors who subjected her to hundreds of tests before she was finally  diagnosed with Lyme disease and co-infections.

After years of suffering from Lyme disease, when Olivia Goodreau was 12 years old, she wanted to help other children and raise money to find a cure for Lyme disease.  In 2017, the LivLyme Foundation was formed.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization providing financial assistance to families of children suffering from Lyme disease, funding scientists for Lyme and tick-borne disease research,  and delivering tick education and awareness.

Holiday Goodreau is Olivia’s mother and the executive director of the LivLyme Foundation. She and I share a common story. We both stopped everything we were doing when our daughters became deathly ill and kept fighting until we eventually found doctors who believed in and brought healing to our children.

In her ongoing efforts to find a cure for Olivia, Holiday has become a fierce advocate for the entire Lyme and tick-borne disease community. Among  her many accomplishments, Holiday served two years as the Co-chair of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Tick-Borne Disease Working Group.

The full event is now available to watch for FREE: 2023 Virtual LivLyme Summit

I live-tweeted the entire 9-hour Summit. Click below to view my 200+ tweets.

Besides all the new science, one of my favorite moments was near the beginning of the conference when Holiday thanked everyone in the Lyme community and shared an African proverb: ”If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go TOGETHER.”

This is something we at LymeDisease.org fully believe in. The mission of our patient-powered MyLymeData study is to amplify the voice of patients suffering from Lyme and tick-borne disease. One voice may not make a difference but when you join 17,000 others, we become a powerful force to help drive research and improve patients lives. We are definitely stronger–and can go farther– together.

LymeSci is written by Lonnie Marcum, a Licensed Physical Therapist and mother of a daughter with Lyme. She served two terms on a subcommittee of the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group. Follow her on Twitter: @LonnieRhea  Email her at: lmarcum@lymedisease.org.