I want to wish you all a Happy New Year and share some very personal news.

After many meaningful years with LymeDisease.org, I’m stepping into a new chapter of my life. This is not an easy goodbye—because this organization, this community, and this mission have shaped me in ways that will stay with me always.

Over the past decade, working alongside patients, advocates, researchers, policy makers, and an extraordinary team at LymeDisease.org has been one of the great privileges of my life.

For the past 35+ years, LymeDisease.org has stood as a lifeline for so many—offering trusted information, fierce advocacy, and unwavering compassion in a landscape where patients too often feel unseen or unheard.

I am deeply proud of the work we’ve done together and of the impact this organization continues to make every single day.

I have learned so much from the resilience of the Lyme community. Your courage, persistence, and willingness to speak up—for yourselves and for others—has been a constant source of inspiration to me. It has been an honor to help amplify those voices and support a mission that truly changes lives.

First job at 14

I started my first job when I was 14, planting jojoba beans in the agricultural fields of Santa Maria, California. I worked my way through high school, and by the time I was 18, I was the manager of International Kings Table restaurant in the Santa Maria Mall.

I worked my way through college, graduating cum laude from Cal State Northridge as a physical therapist in 1992. I have worked in healthcare since then, first as an acute care physical therapist at Marian Hospital in Santa Maria, then transitioning into healthcare management.

In the past decade, my world has grown fuller than I’d ever imagined. I’ve managed and served as CFO of my husband’s dental practice, written about health and science for LymeDisease.org, spent four years on the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, attended countless tick-borne disease seminars, helped build our family-owned olive oil company, and served on the board of the Paso Robles Olive & Lavender Festival.

And two years ago, I stepped into one of the most joyful roles of my life—becoming a grandmother and babysitter, with another grandchild on the way.

These are all jobs that I love and am passionate about! However, for the past several years I have been performing four jobs simultaneously and working seven days per week—something I can’t continue to do.

As I step away from LymeDisease.org, I’m excited to be able to focus more on family and my longtime passion: Marcum Olive Oil.

Mast cell activation syndrome

Our family’s journey into certified extra virgin olive oil production began with a deep appreciation for sustainable agriculture that would be safe for our farm animals and bees.

Later, it became a labor of love when our daughter, after contracting a tick-borne disease, developed severe allergies to many foods due to a condition known as mast cell activation syndrome.

At one point, our olive oil was one of the few foods she could consume without serious allergic reactions.

One of my proudest accomplishments has been sharing our family’s story and helping raise awareness of mast cell activation syndrome in the Lyme Times.

(Click here to read that entire issue for free.)

Thank you to everyone who has trusted me, collaborated with me, and walked alongside me during my journey at LymeDisease.org. I am profoundly grateful—and I look forward to what lies ahead.

In 2025, Marcum Olive Oil took top honors in an international olive oil competition. You can learn more about their products at their website.