On those bad days… the ones where you feel so alone and so empty…it is so important to reach out to the greater Lyme community through blogs or forums. It really help to have friends (even if they are new friend) who truly understand what you are going through.

So, don’t be shy. Take the chance, you will be surprised and rewarded how people will embrace you – and we need that community to keep our sanity as mainstream doctors continue to insist that our illness is all in our heads!

I have always hoped that if some very prominent celebrities were diagnosed with Lyme, that more media attention could help our cause and perhaps even gather some critical attention from the Capitol with long-needed legislation for assistance and relief from medical costs, insurance, costs and treatment availability!

Well, my last post showed the most recent discussion on the House floor over Lyme (make sure you watch it here), which is very exciting. Yet another exciting fact is that there have been more prominent people who have been diagnosed and treated with Lyme disease, such as:

* George W. Bush, President of the US
* US Senator Schumer of NY
* Richard Gere, actor
* Christy Turlington, model
* Amy Tan, author (“The Joy Luck Club”)
* Meg Cabot, author (“The Princess Diaries” series)
* Pete Seeger, folk singer and activist
* Daryl Hall, musician, Hall & Oates
* Rob Kress, former WXYZ weathercaster
* Jamie-Lynn Sigler, actress
* Pamela Weintraub, medical journalist
* Alice Walker, author (“The Color Purple”)
* Rebecca Wells, author (“Ya-Ya” novels)
* Tom Seaver, former New York Mets pitcher
* George Pataki, New York governor

The effect of these notables having a brush with the horror of Lyme disease will certainly build awareness in a way that no blog can do!

Another hopeful sign according to the new website for “Under Our Skin” (http://www.underourskin.com/index.html), two weeks ago, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a regular guest on Oprah and highly regarded voice in the medical community, interviewed Andy Abrahams Wilson and Washington, DC ABC-7′s Medical Reporter Kathy Fowler on his XM radio show “Dr. Oz, Oprah & Friends.”

They talked for 45 minutes about the film and the controversy surrounding Lyme disease. The radio show will air in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Dr. Oz and Oprah want to hear from people with Lyme disease. Go to the website for further information on how to submit your story.