Dr. Jones called both Great Satan and Mother Theresa Pediatrician almost lost his practice for treating children with Lyme disease.

Straight talk with pediatrician Dr. Charles Ray Jones

W hen I first spoke with Dr. Jones, I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to interview him and I told him that I wouldn’t be throwing any curve balls his way. Characteristic of Dr. Jones, he told me he loved curve balls. This is a man who has been unafraid to fight for what he believes, regardless of popular — and often institutionalized practices.

From his days at Boston University’s Divinity School and his march with Martin Luther King Jr., to his steadfast treatment of children with Lyme disease, Charles Ray Jones has remained unwavering. He has treated children from all over our country and all over the world. He has given hope to parents who thought their child was lost. His detractors have said he treats recklessly, but the proof remains: desperately sick kids cured of tick-borne illness.

Dr. Jones has been investigated by the medical community, prosecuted, fined, and monitored for the last four years. His legal fees, fines, and monitoring costs drained his bank account and nearly shuttered his practice. The Lyme community – patients and practitioners – responded, donating enough money to keep his practice going. He is once again caring for kids, despite the fact that he’s 85 years old and has had numerous surgeries. But, his story, the one he’d like told, is about the children who have come back from the brink, and the hope that even more can be successfully treated.