United States: The threats associated with ticks and linked diseases as well as infections have been increasing as the weather across the United States have been becoming better and people are spending more time outside.
Currently, the Lyme Disease – caused by tick bite – has been raising concerns in the US. To address the increase and problems of the disease, the Chairperson and Founder of Lyme WNY – Rebecca Roll initiated the non-profit organisation (Lyme WNY) after her husband got infected to the infection.
Elaborating on the struggle of her husband, Roll said, “When we didn’t know what was wrong with him, we really were struggling. We were alone. We knew something was wrong with him, and we couldn’t get a diagnosis.”
Rebecca and her Lyme WNY:
Since the commencement of the project, she and her team have been working for the betterment of the people who have been dealing with or dealing with the infection. According to the reports, the team organizes a meeting every month, which is dedicated to the people who want to talk with someone who’s been through it before, according to wgrz.com.
In this regard, Rebecca mentioned, “Anybody who thinks they have Lyme disease, anybody who is married, or a spouse of somebody with Lyme disease, or a family member, or a friend, or if they just want to learn about it are welcome to come to our meetings, and we kind of provide them the avenues to go down so they’re not feeling as alone as we once did.”
The initiative was joined by Colleen Jantzi in June 2022, during the time when she started experiencing symptoms.
Along with providing emotional assistance to the patients, Lyme WNY also offers financial assistance to the people who are suffering with the infection. Grants are provided by the organisation if individual’s insurance won’t cover their treatment.
Jantzi was one of the persons who received the help from Lyme WNY and she is paying it forward by organizing a 5K.
Jantzi was quoted saying, “To be able to connect to other people that are experiencing the same as what you are experiencing gives you a peace of mind that you’re not going crazy and that this is really happening, and also to give hope. I mean, I’m here as a runner, but also as a Lyme patient to show everybody that there is hope,” as per wgrz.com.
Further, Rebecca Roll mentioned, “It’s a year-round problem. We’ve also had a very mild winter. I think typically, too, we hear, well, I wasn’t in the woods, or I didn’t go for a hike. And it’s not. We always say it’s a suburban problem. It’s a backyard problem. It’s a sports field problem. It’s an everywhere problem.”
While emphasizing the current situation of her husband, Roll mentioned that he is still dealing with symptoms of the infection.