The Lyme Times Volume 25, Number 2

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8 The Lyme Times
drove all the way to Maine with fear and desperation and left with
tears of joy and a new found sense of hope. That is the feeling
that so many experience when they finally connect with a Lyme-
literate doctor and are being heard and believed for the first time
— when they are given hope that they can get better.” People from
Maine and other parts of New England came with questions and
left with answers.
Among the speakers were Pat Smith, president of the Lyme
Disease Association; Eva Sapi, PhD, researcher at the University
of New Haven; Bob Giguere, IGeneX Laboratories; Beatrice
Szantyr, MD; and Katina Makris, author and Lyme Light Radio
host. A 2-DVD set of the conference is available. Send an email to
Massachusetts Foundation conference draws 450 patients
Connecticut LLMD Steven Phillips proved to be a strong draw
for the 450 New Englanders who braved snow and icy roads
to attend the Central Massachusetts Lyme Foundation’s first
conference in Worcester in March. Phillips, a former president of
ILADS, was the keynote speaker in the morning; in the afternoon,
Eva Sapi talked about her research on biofilms and antibiotics.
Sapi is an associate professor of Biology and Environmental Science
from the University of New Haven in West Haven, CT. The day-long
event also held break-out sessions covering topics ranging from tick
prevention, nutrition, herbal treatment, Lyme disease testing, and
patient advocacy.
Central Massachusetts Lyme Foundation is a non-profit
organization created to help those battling Lyme disease as well
as other tick-borne illnesses. Ken and Michele Miller started the
organization in memory of Michele's mother, Jeanne Cloutier,
who passed away in 2013 as a result of late-stage Lyme disease.
For more information on the Central Mass Lyme Foundation and
their upcoming events, visit their website at .
Connecticut Lyme Connection honors LDA President Pat Smith
An enthusiastic crowd gave Lyme Disease Association president
Pat Smith a standing ovation when the patient advocacy group
Lyme Connection presented her with their first Courage in
Advocacy Award at their patient conference and health fair inMay.
Several Lyme luminaries attended in Smith’s honor, including CT
pediatrician Charles Ray Jones; Columbia Lyme Research Center
Director Brian Fallon; NY LLMDs Ken Liegner and Dan Cameron,
who is also president of ILADS; CT LLMD Steven Phillips; and
family counselor Sandy Berenbaum.
Lyme disease specialist and author Richard Horowitz, MD,
the keynote speaker, talked about his book "Lyme Disease: Why
Can't I Get Better? Moving from Symptoms to Solutions." Other
speakers were New Haven University Borrelia researcher Eva Sapi
and Dr. William Cowden, author of the Cowden Protocol. All of
the speeches from the event are available on YouTube.
Lyme Connection collaborated with the Ridgefield Health
Department to develop BLAST, a nationally recognized tick-borne
disease prevention program that is offered free to the public at
health fairs, schools and community events. The program engages
health professionals and trained educators to teach prevention
and early symptom identification. The CT legislature is currently
considering a bill to fund BLAST. It is now funded by private
donations and grants. Visit the Lyme Connection website at
Ticked Off Music Fest lights up Los Angeles
The Ticked Off Music Fest made its first foray to the West
Coast, touching down in Los Angeles at the iconic House of Blues
on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood on March 28. The concert
series is dedicated to the prevention, awareness and cure of Lyme
disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
The Ticked Off Music Fest was founded in 2012 by Gregg Kirk,
who currently lives in the NYC metro area. Kirk is the lead singer/
songwriter for the band The Zen Engines and former publisher of
the Philadelphia/Delaware-based publication Big Shout Magazine.
He has also been dealing with chronic Lyme for almost a decade.
“The fest really picked up momentum in 2014,” said Kirk, “I
contracted Lyme disease almost 10 years ago and spent years
being too sick to play. Once I got better, I decided I'd rather play
music in situations that help people instead of banging my head
against the wall and playing the bar circuit trying to make it big.
I hooked up with Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens who played a
festival in Jacksonville, FL, and have also been working with Les
Stroud from the Survivorman TV series who has played festivals
with me in Florida andMaryland.”The first three festivals were held
in Wilmington, Delaware; Jacksonville, Florida; and Annapolis,
Maryland.
Produced by Gregg Kirk alongside line producer Sandi Bohle,
the Los Angeles fest was the largest one yet — a full six hours
Lyme Connection co-founder Karen Gaudian presents Lyme Disease
Association President Pat Smith with the first Courage in Advocacy
Award at their conference and health fair in May.