Arkansas Tickborne Illness

I was born and raised in Central Arkansas. Soon after graduation,  I left for California to pursue a career in music and the TV/Film industry. After 23 years of being abroad, I re-rooted in Arkansas in June 2013.

My initial infection with a tickborne disease was when I was 7 years old in Saline County.
I was infected again in 2013 in Van Buren County. I was not tested properly until 2016.

When I was infected as a child, it was the early 70s and no one had really heard of "tick diseases".

You name the symptom - I had it.

I had developed rare conditions that kept the doctors scratching their heads. 

We eventually decided to treat mostly with diet and natural medicine.

Thankfully through the years, holistic medicine and lifestyle have consistently been my saving grace.

When infected as an adult, it was quite a bit harder to deal with.

My body just began "falling apart" all of a sudden. After 3 years of being misdiagnosed and dismissed by dozens of doctors and specialists,  I finally found a doctor who is very well educated in treating Lyme Disease and other tickborne illnesses. I am in treatment now, but it's a daily battle.

With no LLMDs in Arkansas accepting patients, most Doctors not even willing to discuss tick diseases, unreliable and unavailable testing and almost nothing covered under insurance...  My heart is to help others and so all that I am able to make sure no one else has to go through the same thing as I have.

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As an original co-founder of the group "Arkansas Bytes Back" and also the "Arkansas Lyme Foundation" in 2016, I have continued to venture into the world of all tickborne illnesses in Arkansas.