Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

For those of you who may be reading this without knowing who I am, let's begin there.

• I'm Leigh. 
• I'm twenty three years old and I live in Lusby, MD. 
• I have a degree in Recreational Therapy and I am a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. (That's the first time I've ever written that out and I now feel significantly cooler than when I started writing this post!) 
• I am happiest when I am making crafts, baking, or creating something. 
• I have a dog named Hershey who is more popular than I will ever be.
• My favorite color is blue but my bedroom is painted red. 
• Pieces of my heart are scattered all over the country with my Lyme friends, my college friends, my cousins, and friends who have moved away. 
• I am obsessed with the holidays--especially Halloween and Christmas--and I love nothing more than decorating everything in my life around those times.
• I love handwritten letters more than someone in the 21st century probably should. 
• My memories are the most important thing in my life. I remember dates of the most random things and I keep pictures of everything because I don't ever want to forget.

Now that it sounds like I'm writing a personals ad, (I love long walks on the beach and drinking pina coladas) let's move on to learning a little bit about Lyme. 

• Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia Burgdorferi bacteria, a spiral shaped bacteria that, because of its shape, can burrow in any part of the body (including the brain, nervous system, muscles and joints, and the heart)
• Lyme disease can be introduced into the human body a number of different ways. While ticks are the main culprit, Lyme can also be transmitted in utero from an infected mother to her child, and there is also some data suggesting that it can be transmitted sexually.
• Lyme cases have been reported in every state in the United States.
• If a person knows they have been bitten by a tick (which I didn't), and they experience the "typical" bulls eye rash, they can receive treatment immediately and their risk of developing symptoms is significantly lowered. However, most people who are infected do not get the rash, and aren't aware that they have been infected until it's too late to receive the initial treatment.
• If the infection is not diagnosed and treated right away, the spirochetes (the spiral shaped bacteria) can go into hiding in the body and come out at any time (days, weeks, months or even years later) to wreak havoc on the brain, nervous system, muscles and joints, heart, digestive system, reproductive system, and skin. (and anything else they can find to destroy)
• Because of the bacteria's ability to hide, diagnostic blood tests are very unreliable. A large percentage of people who have Lyme do not receive a positive test on the first time (or the second, third, fourth, or seventieth) and it becomes a struggle in itself to find a doctor who is willing to not only keep testing, but treat clinically (based on symptoms) in the mean time.
• If not properly treated, Lyme can be fatal. (but anyone who is fighting Lyme knows that this is not an option we are willing to give it!)

But, while all of that is extremely important information that I thank you ever-so-much for reading, it's most important to remember that a person with Lyme is just that, a person. And the things that matter most are the things in my first list in this post--the things that make that person who are they are, with or without the Lyme. 

I have Lyme, but Lyme doesn't have me.