Monday, March 15, 2010

Lime Green Ribbons Across America - Pass it on

This letter is going around Facebook.  It is perfect timing, I am going to wear my lime green ribbons & now I have the idea to put them on my tree in my front yard.  I may just make some tee shirts:

Today, I am writing to you as a plea for help. We as Lyme Disease patients and Chronic Lyme Disease patients are forbidden to receive the proper treatments necessary improve our quality of life and in many cases keep us from death. Doctors across America are ignoring their Hippocratic Oath that they took upon decided to become a doctor. They are REFUSING to treat Lyme patients.

As a Chronic Lyme patient we often hear things such as: "It's all in your head". "You will just have to learn how to live that way'", "Oh, we will not treat Lyme patients here"- even thought it is within their field. "Sorry, there is nothing more we are ALLOWED to do for you...we know what you need, but we aren't ALLOWED to treat you!" Yes, this is real. You ask how do I know. Well, these are just a few of the many things that have bee said to me!

I ask you: Would this be said to a Cancer patient? How about an AIDS patient? No! Why? Because they are well known disease...Lyme is not...YET! However, the CDC states that Lyme could be 10x more prevalent in the US than AIDS. Why, because many people do not know what Lyme is and how is affects you. Ask those in the Blood Banks, they know it is in the blood bank supply. And what is being done about it? Nothing!

May is Lyme Awareness month and we are looking for you to help bring about change. We hope that you and every one you know will help us in getting the word out, and stop the suffering we have to endure as patients without rights. For the thousands who have died, those dying, those bed-ridden, those hanging on to the daily tasks that we can complete. WE are pleading for you to help us. We are asking for you to tie a lime green ribbon around your tree, and pass this note on to friends and family, ask your local churches, schools, and businesses to do the same. There isn't anyone who doesn't need to know the dangers of having a simple tick or horse fly bite, and what it can do to you. You could get Lyme and be fighting for your life or the life of a loved one. Go to lymediseaseassociation.org to learn more.

We need to stop the madness of the IDSA. They are ignoring all of us, telling us we can not receive treatment. We are not crazy! We are not going to shut up, sit back and die because of their ignorance. Thousand of us already have died- I don't and refuse to be another one to add to that list and I don't what the hundreds I have meet to suffer any more either. We want our right to treatment the way our Lyme Literate Doctors KNOW how to treat us! We will not stop our effort until we get our rights.

For now, those of us that can afford to live pay from $4,000 - $7,000 a month for medications to help beat this disease. We will go through our life savings to walk away after our Lyme Literate doctor's treatment as a normal functioning human. We will go through up to $150,000 to do this because our insurance will not cover our treatments. They don't recognize our disease because of the faulty IDSA guidelines. We have to go to the few Lyme Literate Doctors, but we can not speak about them to our insurance companies otherwise we put them at risk of the insurance companies and medical boards attacking them. This is all due to only a handful of IDSA Board Members who will not listen toscientific evidence that proves them wrong.

Please consider tying a ribbon or ribbons around your trees as a simple way of support our cause. You CAN help us stay alive! You can prevent those of us that have Lyme from developing Lyme-induced Parkinson's, MS, Lou Gehrigs, ALS, Alzheimer's, and many other diseases that present themselves as real disease.

If doing this can prevent one person from suffering the way I have...I have done my job. However, it is my desire to help save thousands of people with this disease get the justice they deserve.  Can you please tie a lime green ribbon around your tree and spread the letter around?  With your efforts they can make a difference.

Thank you,

Allison Caruana

Creator of Rally Against Lyme Ignorance- Facebook group

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