To a teenager mired in the muck of an all-encompassing chronic illness, the promise of a better life at some distant point in the future can seem impossibly remote.

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Teenagers with Lyme disease are often advised by the adults in their lives to focus on the “light at the end of the tunnel,” while going from doctor to doctor, trying to keep up with school, working to maintain friendships, and undergoing treatment.

However, to a teenager mired in the muck of an all-encompassing chronic illness, the promise of a better life at some distant point in the future can seem impossibly remote. Meanwhile, as their teen days, months, and even years slip away, the concept of a light at the end of the tunnel offers little hope or comfort.

That’s why family therapist Kathleen Steele, LCSW, encourages teens to bring and create “Light IN the Tunnel,” finding ways to live life richly and with meaning, even amidst the difficult circumstances of dealing with Lyme disease.

That is the theme of the upcoming workshop for teens with Lyme that Steele will offer in conjunction with CALDA’s GETTING HEALTHY AGAIN IN 2010 conference.

The workshop will offer teens the chance to meet others in their age group who are dealing with similar challenges. They’ll share coping strategies and learn from each other how to bring happiness and satisfaction into their lives, despite having a chronic illness.

The main session of GETTING HEALTHY AGAIN IN 2010 will feature four Lyme specialists, speaking about different aspects of Lyme treatment: Dr. Dave Martz, MD; Dr. Christine Green, MD; Dr. Ray Stricker, MD; and Dr. Deborah Metzger, MD.

The conference will be held April 24, 1-4:30 pm, at the Dougherty Station Community Center, 17011 Bollinger Canyon Rd, San Ramon, CA. (San Ramon is east of San Francisco Bay.) Admission donation is $40 for adults/$20 for teens. For registration information, click here.