Every year about 40,000 Americans are reportedly diagnosed with Lyme disease while thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years.  Families are forced to give up their lifestyles, homes, jobs and life savings to pay for treatment of this disease.  It is hard to fathom that one minuscule tick can cause such pain and suffering.

After two years, my 15-year-old sister was diagnosed with Lyme disease.  Consequently, when her diagnosis was confirmed, it was at an advanced stage.  After eight doctors and an immense amount of research, we found one of the top Lyme specialists to treat her.

Unfortunately, my mother and sister were forced to move to Kansas City.  Her daily intravenous antibiotic treatment is intense and rigorous, but she has shown many signs of improvement.  Doctors foresee this regimen for another couple of months, and none of the nearly year-long treatment has been covered by insurance.

Growing up in a small town, where your business is everyone’s business, is not always ideal, but we truly learned to appreciate the small-town life when we saw what a strong community can do.  About 550 members of the community came together and participated in a fundraiser for my sister.  Hundreds of items were donated for auction, and food was donated from local restaurants.  In attendance were not only family and close friends, but also local dentists, doctors, babysitters, mailmen, neighbors, teachers, coaches and business owners.  I had never seen some of these people before, and some had known me since I was born.  Our small town really came together as a community to plan this fundraiser.

It was determined that I would speak at the event.  When I got up to thank everyone, I was amazed at all the people standing before me, and the appreciation I felt was indescribable.  It is so important to realize how businesses, friends, and organizations can come together as a community, make such a large impact and touch a family like mine.