Dear Scientist,

My name is Hannah and I’m a 7th grader from NYC. For the past few summers, I’ve loved exploring our community garden, searching for insects like dragonflies, cicadas, and beetles. 

This summer was different. After buying praying mantis eggs at a reptile expo, I raised a few, spending hours hunting tiny insects to feed them. But this summer I started feeling unusually tired and experienced mild leg pain. My mom and I thought it was just a passing sickness or heat exhaustion, but soon, taking care of the mantises became a chore. I was too exhausted to care for them, so I released them back into the garden.

In June, while walking with my family, I noticed that half of my face was paralyzed. We thought  it would disappear by morning, but when I woke up, I still couldn’t move my face. It was confusing and scary — the left side of my face drooped, my eye watered, and eating and drinking became difficult. Given that we live in the city, tick borne illnesses did not immediately come to mind. Mom and I researched my symptoms and suspected Bell’s palsy. 

After this, we went to the doctor. My pediatrician confirmed the Bell’s palsy and ordered a blood test for Lyme disease. Two days later, the results came back positive. I was prescribed antibiotics, which I took for two weeks. Thankfully, after the treatment, my symptoms disappeared — my smile returned, my leg pain was gone, and I felt energized again.

After this experience, I’ve spent less time in the garden, afraid of catching Lyme disease again. Ticks are so small that it’s almost impossible to notice when one bites you. I want to enjoy the outdoors without constantly worrying about contracting Lyme disease, and I know many others feel the same. I was lucky to catch the disease early, but not everyone is as fortunate.

Dear Scientist, what are you doing to help prevent Lyme disease? Will there ever be a way for us to enjoy nature without the fear of tick bites?

Sincerely,
Hannah