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Natural Awakenings Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties

Spreading Lyme Prevention Awareness One Lime Bite at a Time

Are you ready to help take a bite out of Lyme disease for Lyme Disease Awareness Month? The 2016 Lyme Disease Challenge is off to a great start for the month to raise awareness and funds for research and education, with participation by public figures such as Ally Hilfinger, Yolanda Foster, U.K. businessman John Caudwell, Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley, Lisa Rinna and Eileen Davidson. 

Follow the three steps and then donate $10. Those that prefer not to take the “bite” are encouraged to donate $100 instead. For the first step, bite a lime and take a photo or a short video of the act with your sourpuss face. Secondly, share one brief fact about Lyme disease. You can say them in your video, write them on your photo, or include them in your post. Then challenge three other people to take a bite by mentioning them in your video or tagging them in your post’s photo. Lastly, post it to your favorite social media outlets and tag your video or photo with #LymeDiseaseChallenge. You can check back to watch the challenge live at LymeDiseaseChallenge.org/Lyme-Disease-Challenge-Action.

While the primary goal of the Lyme Disease Challenge is to spread awareness, the organization is also raising funds to benefit the International Lyme & Associated Diseases Educational Foundation (ILADAF), an ILADS Lyme Society nonprofit. The volunteer challenge team raised a total of over $100,000 to support doctor training and research through ILADEF in 2015.

“The Lyme Disease Challenge empowers those in the Lyme Disease community to share their story using the power of social media,” states Florida attorney Melissa Bell, a Challenge organizer and president of Florida Lyme Disease Association. “Advocacy is critical considering how many patients—including children—are slipping through the cracks while we wait for adequate research funding to develop more reliable diagnostic tests and more effective treatments for late-stage Lyme disease and co-infections,” Bell adds.

For more information and photos of the Challenge in action, visit LymeDiseaseChallenge.org.