By Mira Shapiro, LymeDisease.org

February 19 was the annual Center for Lyme Action’s Virtual Fly-In.  Lyme patient advocates from across the country spent the day in Zoom meetings with their senators and congressional representatives.

We raised awareness of the seriousness of tick-borne illness by telling our stories and asked for support for the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations for Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses.

As the Lead of CLA’s Maryland Team, I participated in six meetings, leading four of them. At every meeting the staff member we spoke with was truly interested in our patient advocates’ stories.

They seemed eager to learn all they could and to understand how the funds would help address the need for better diagnostic tools, better treatments, improved clinician education, and public education on prevention measures.

Thank you to the Center for Lyme Action for organizing almost 300 Capitol Hill meetings; to the staffers who met with us; and to the more than 450 advocates who participated in the event.

Here’s a selection of social media posts about the Fly-In: