Ten years ago, singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben was desperately ill with Lyme disease—wracked with pain, clouded by brain fog, and battling depression. In the midst of all that, he discovered that if he stayed up well past midnight, the fog would lift somewhat.

“So I’d keep myself up till 6, 7, 8 in the morning,” he recalls, “because it was the only time I had a cognitive thought.”

One morning in 2015, during one of those more lucid hours, he sang the beginning of a new song into his cell phone—and promptly forgot about it. Years later, he stumbled upon the audio file and decided to finish what he had started.

The result is Monster, a raw and powerful song that captures the pain, frustration, and mental anguish that so many Lyme patients know all too well:

“There’s something wrong here, doctor, and I don’t know what it is…

But there’s a monster in my body and it’s living in my limbs…

And it’s tearing through my system like a hurricane wind that won’t stop…”

First “We Can” and then he couldn’t

Before he became ill, Ruben was a rising star in the music world, with a popular song called “We Can.” It was a feel-good, upbeat tune that he wrote after running his very first marathon.

Then everything changed.

It started with flu-like symptoms that wouldn’t go away, followed by dizziness and nausea.

Doctors ran tests and told him everything looked fine. But Jesse knew something wasn’t right. He struggled to breathe and couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs. The brain fog got so bad he’d forget the lyrics to his own songs—music he’d poured his heart into.

He saw more than ten doctors. Each gave him a different answer: vitamin D deficiency, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome. None of it fit.

Eventually, Jesse found a doctor who properly diagnosed and treated him for Lyme disease, and he began to heal. He returned to music with renewed purpose—and his single This Is Why I Need You struck a chord around the world. It’s now been streamed over 70 million times across various platforms, a testament to how deeply his message resonates.

Alongside his musical comeback, Jesse became a passionate advocate for others facing Lyme disease. He co-founded Generation Lyme, a nonprofit created to combat the isolation and confusion that so many people with Lyme disease experience.

The organization hosts free Zoom gatherings for patients, parents, and supporters and also offers the Generation Lyme podcast.

And now, Jesse has finally released Monster, the song he rasped into his cell phone so long ago. Take a listen:

Monster drops as a single today and is also featured on Jesse’s new album Belong, set for release on October 10. The ten-song collection explores themes of mental health, chronic illness, long-term relationships, and the essential role of community in helping us heal and thrive.

Jesse Ruben’s journey—from misdiagnosis and despair to healing and advocacy—is a powerful reminder of what it means to keep going.

With Monster and Belong, he’s not just sharing music—he’s sharing what it feels like to fight for your health, your voice, and your place in the world. These songs speak to anyone who’s ever felt lost in their own body, and they offer something we all need: the feeling of being seen, heard, and believed.

TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, President of LymeDisease.org. She is co-author of Finding Resilience: A Teen’s Journey Through Lyme Disease and of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org.