1.16 billion people have had Lyme disease

Time Magazine, BMJ Global Health

But it remains one of the most misunderstood and underdiagnosed conditions

Why is no one

talking about this?

500k

new cases in the U.S. annually

Which is more than breast cancer, HIV & tuberculosis combined  

But it remains grossly underfunded, at just

$90 per patient in 2023 NIH funding

What is Lyme+?

Lyme disease or Borrelia burgdorferi, a corkscrew-shaped bacteria, is the most common tick-borne disease. Because an infected tick bite usually comes with more than one bacteria, Lyme+ refers to a wider group of tick-borne infections, including Babesia, Bartonella, Anaplasma, and more.

A tick-borne

bacterial infection when an infected tick bites a human or animal although many don’t find a tick bite.

Systemic illness

leading to neurologic, dermatologic, rheumatologic, and cardiac complications. While varying greatly, common early symptoms may include flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and aches, sometimes with unusual red rashes, often bull’s-eye shaped. 20% of patients do not fully recover after antibiotic treatment, and become chronic conditions.

1 in 5 people do not fully recover ⋅

1 in 5 people do not fully recover ⋅

Here are their Stories

  • Lindsay

    I had sudden onset schizophrenia, and couldn’t remember my way home from work

  • Olivia

    Lyme+ physically manifested in my knee,
    and I was unable to walk at 8 years old

  • Weston

    I was bedridden, 40 lbs underweight,
    unable to eat due to anaphylaxis

  • Nancy

    I lost my life due to complications from
    misdiagnoses and mistreatments

  • Eva

    I couldn’t remember what I had done the day before or get through a day without napping

  • Anonymous

    I couldn’t sleep more than 2 hours at a time or 4 in a night, consumed by anxiety & insomnia

Our Mission &
Vision

LymeLnk is a nonprofit combating Lyme and tick-borne diseases (Lyme+) through community storytelling and education. 

Lyme+ is underfunded and misunderstood. LymeLnk was founded to change that, our name signifying our intention to connect missing links between the community and the outside world. 

Our method is storytelling, using educational campaigns to increase Lyme+ literacy one community at a time. With years of research and over 100 interviews, we’ve unleashed the collective intelligence of the Lyme community. We need your help bringing it to new audiences. 

We asked Lyme+ patients about their “ideal future state” to help us define success. They just want to hear:

“I know what Lyme+ is, and I know someone who has it.”

So we changed our vision.

We’re creating a world that cares about Lyme+

Eva’s Story

our founder

A note from

I founded LymeLnk in 2024 while finishing my Master’s at Parsons in The New School’s Impact Entrepreneurship Fellowship. But it really started 8 years earlier with a tick bite, constant treatment and flare-ups, and a long stretch of not being believed.

I’ve lived with chronic Lyme for eight years. Sharing my story, I got tired of hearing:

“But you look so good.”

What they didn’t see: I couldn’t remember what I’d done the day before. I couldn’t get through the day without a nap. I was in constant pain from early-onset arthritis, juggling Celiac, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Managing these symptoms to function is a full-time job. But the hardest part? Explaining this to people who don’t believe my reality.

“Chronic Lyme isn’t real.”

That hurt more than the symptoms.

So I built LymeLnk. A space for stories. For education. For people living with Lyme+ to feel seen and supported. We’re changing the narrative with the community. Making the invisible visible. And helping high-risk communities prevent and catch this early, so fewer lives are derailed.

Because no one should have to suffer in silence.

We’re telling stories so Lyme+ doesn’t become part of yours