TOUCHED BY LYME: “Dear Borrelia, let me win some battles”
The following is republished by permission, from the Facebook page of Jannine Harris of the UK. (For those who are new to all this, “Borrelia” stands for “Borrelia burgdorferi,” the official name of the microbe that causes Lyme disease.)
Dear Borrelia,
Whilst I understand that you are very much attached to me, the frequency and intensity of your occupation is overwhelming.
Your presence in my life has left me forever altered. We share a history and we shall never be truly parted. I accept that you are part of my future but I ask that you make me a lesser part of your present. Or at least, that you allow yourself to be a lesser part of my present.
I began as a good but unsuspecting host. You were in my blood without me knowing it. It was only when you deepened your intrusion into my body and mind that I knew that you were there and began my antibiotic battle to keep you at bay. You took a hold whilst I was busy living my life. I didn’t recognize you for what you are. And now it’s too late.
How did you manage to sneak in undetected and steal so much from me? How did you become such a significant part of my daily life? How can it be that you get in the way of the love and care I want to give to my husband and children? You make my passions and interests impossible for me to maintain with your incessant occupation. You are cruel!
I won’t forget you. You are never far from my thoughts. There is no denying that our futures are inextricably linked.
But for the present Borrelia, please desist. Let me get though my days without feeling the weight of you crushing down on me. Let me look in the mirror with straight eyes at a face that doesn’t droop. Let my breathing return to normal and my stamina build. Let my family benefit from the person that I am and the love that is in my heart. Don’t make my body curl inwards and render me unable to walk, or drive, or even talk just because you decide to. You do not need to be so intense to let me know that you are there. I will not forget you, I promise.
Please, let me have the present. Let me win some battles before you win the war.
TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, LymeDisease.org’s VP for Education and Outreach. She is co-author of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org.
“Beyond beautiful” I looked this statement it up on google I call the story “STUNNING” !. If there is any chance to get it to the individuals with the upcoming bill it needs to be. It is a beyond horrific disease that the world needs to know. SHAME TO THE CDC. yes I am dealing with this also,
Well-spoken! Paints a very clear picture of what happens to us. I hope this gets spread more widely. In response to the last statement about winning some battles, we’re all different and need to find what works for us. Like I do well with natural anti-inflams like turmeric powder, mangosteen juice, noni juice, grapeseed extract, etc.
I do turmeric, vitamin C a lot, grapeseed extract, garlic pills, lots of those things. It helps.