The CBC interviews Elizabeth May

Here is a recent interview with Elizabeth May on her private member's bill.  In the interview, it was stated that private member's bills rarely pass.  Let's hope that our Members of Parliament will come to better understand how important this bill is over the next several months.  Again, please contact your MP.  Click here for the interview.

It's time to educate our MPs

We've achieved that momentous first step!  An individual in a position of power in this country has taken notice of this horrendous Lyme disease situation, and is going to help us!  Elizabeth May, Green Party Leader, has introduced a truly non-partisan bill, calling for the development of a National Lyme Strategy to address this situation.

But there is still so much more work to do.  If you are reading this, I urge you to contact your MP and tell them that we need to have this bill passed.  If you are a Lyme sufferer, tell your MP your story.  If you are the friend or acquaintance of a Lyme sufferer, tell them that you know someone with the illness and what they have had to go through.  Tell them that this situation needs to be corrected.

This is not just for current Lyme disease sufferers.  It can happen to anyone, at any time, and can literally ruin your life.  This is not fear mongering.  It's just the truth.  A colleague of mine pulled a tick off his leg a couple of years ago.  His car had broken down and he was simply walking in the tall grass by the side of the road in our city here.  A classmate of my son's recently had a tick removed from her scalp.  And then there are many individuals like myself, who don't recall a tick bite.  Ticks are everywhere, and they are particularly bad this year.  Be sure to protect yourself!  (See my Protect Yourself tab.)

Once you are infected, there is NO proper treatment in Canada, and good luck getting a proper diagnosis or postitive lab test from the Public Health Lab.  The ELISA test is completely unreliable, resulting in a great percentage of false negatives.

You can tell your MP that we need:

- Access to proper testing for Lyme disease, from specialized labs (such as IGeneX in the U.S.)
- Family doctors and specialists who recognize the symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease (because right now, they just don't.  That is why so many people are misdiagnosed.)
- Access to the treatment that best suits our condition.  (In most cases, that involves antibiotic treatment longer than the current IDSA recommended 2-4 weeks.)
- Recognition of this illness, so that Lyme patients have access to Long Term Disability while they are recovering.
- Protection for doctors who should be able to choose the treatment that best suits the patient.  (Currently, doctors' licences are threatened if they treat with long-term antibiotics.  That's why you can't find a single Lyme doctor in this country now.  We had 3 not too long ago, but now there are none.  In the U.S., there are now 12 states that have laws in place protecting physicians who treat Lyme disease.)

It's easy to contact your MP.  You can do so by e-mail.  Find the name and address of your MP here.

Elizabeth May Tables Lyme Bill

Well it finally happened TODAY!  Elizabeth May, Green Party leader, tabled a private member's bill to develop a national strategy for Lyme disease.  I'm ecstatic, and even a little teary.  I can hardly believe this day is here, finally.  It is 40 years since the first diagnosed cases of Lyme disease, in Lyme, Connecticut.  It has taken THIS long for people to finally come to the realization that this is a health crisis.  So many people are suffering, needlessly, due to lack of education and understanding.  I'm not going to even go into the whole political mess of Lyme disease - the corruption, the conflicts of interest, the insurance companies.  I'm just going to enjoy my evening and breathe a huge sigh of relief, knowing that someone in a position of power has finally gotten the ball rolling on this.  Praise the Lord!

Progress in the U.S.

Thank you, Congressman Chris Gibson (N.Y.), for spearheading this government action on Lyme!  Read his press release here.

Little by little, there is more awareness of Lyme.  I am thankful that FINALLY some individuals in positions of power are waking up to the gravity of this situation.  I am anxious to see how our Parliament will respond to Elizabeth May's Lyme Bill.  I pray that all of the MPs will make the right decision.  Each and every one of them could be a simple 'walk in the woods' away from where I am.  Ticks are particularly bad this season, and everyone is at risk.

Finally, there is some HOPE of proper care in Canada.