A book review by Terri McCormick

Most people wouldn’t think twice about a summer flu.

Chiropractor Dr. Kristi Hellenbrand didn’t either.

After two weeks, the illness seemed to pass. But something wasn’t right. She was dizzy. Her blood pressure dropped. Walking became difficult. Eventually, she needed a cane, and then her legs stopped working altogether. A five-day stay at a major Georgia hospital brought no answers, only instructions to follow up with a neurologist weeks later.

For many readers in the Lyme community, that story will sound painfully familiar.

In Let Me Tell You a Secret…She Makes It: A Lyme Survival Story, Dr. Kristi invites readers into the frightening, frustrating, and hopeful journey that transformed her life. Written with raw emotion, her memoir captures not only the physical devastation of Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses but also the resilience required to keep fighting when medicine has few answers.

From the first chapter, I found myself drawn into her story. More than once, I nodded in recognition and cheered for her as she fought to reclaim her health. Her experiences mirror those of countless Lyme patients.

Running alongside her own journey is the story of her beloved horse, Daisy Girl. Their stories become beautifully intertwined as both face devastating physical challenges. When Daisy suffers a severe hoof injury that leaves some questioning whether she should be euthanized, Dr. Kristi sees something much deeper.

“Daisy Girl is a mirror for my soul, my body, my illness, and my own hope for healing,” she writes.

Unable to give up on Daisy, she realizes she cannot give up on herself either. Their parallel journeys become one of the book’s touching themes. As Daisy struggles to walk, so does Dr. Kristi. As others question Daisy’s future, Dr. Kristi confronts her own uncertain prognosis. Their shared perseverance adds another layer of emotion and beauty to an already captivating personal story.

Near the end of the book, she leaves readers with a message I suspect many Lyme patients will understand:

“Many healthcare professionals told me they could not help. That there was no reason for my symptoms. And they were wrong.”

Dr. Kristi’s story is deeply personal, but the lesson reaches far beyond one patient.

As an advocate, I found myself reflecting on how familiar her early symptoms are within the Lyme community. Her journey began with something many people would dismiss: a summer flu.

Yet true influenza is uncommon during the summer months. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu activity in the United States typically peaks between December and February.

According to MyLymeData, 64% of patients reported experiencing flu-like symptoms early in their illness. Many patients also do not recall having an erythema migrans (EM) rash, increasing the likelihood that Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses will be overlooked or misdiagnosed. Dr. Kristi’s experience illustrates just how easily that can happen.

Dr. Brian Fallon, director of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University, has similarly noted that early Lyme disease often presents with nonspecific, flu-like symptoms. A flu‑like illness during tick season, especially following a tick bite or outdoor exposure, should raise clinical suspicion.

Let Me Tell You a Secret…She Makes It is one of those books that is hard to put down. It offers readers an honest look at the reality of Lyme disease while reminding us that healing is not always linear, and hope can still be found along the way.

Dr. Kristi Hellenbrand is a wife, mother, chiropractor, and owner of Dr. Kristi @ The Farmhouse in Georgia. She has continued her medical education through ILADS and serves as an ambassador for the Global Lyme Alliance. When she is not caring for patients, she can be found on her farm with her husband, children, Daisy Girl, and their many beloved animals.

Readers who would like to learn more about Dr. Kristi and her work can visit her website, lymeliveshere.com, where she provides education, resources, and a sense of community for those affected by Lyme disease.

Let Me Tell You a Secret… She Makes It: A Lyme Survival Story is available in print through Amazon, as an eBook, on Audible, and through major book retailers, including Barnes & Noble.

Dr. Kristi’s story reminds us that Lyme disease rarely announces itself with a textbook presentation. Sometimes, it begins with something as ordinary and easily dismissed as a summer flu.

Terri McCormick is a writer and advocate with LymeDisease.org. She is the author of Being Misdiagnosed: Stories That Reveal the Hidden Epidemic of Lyme Disease. The book is available on Amazon and at TerriMcCormick.com.

Endnotes

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The Flu Season.” Influenza activity in the United States typically peaks between December and February. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season.html
2. MyLymeData. MyLymeData Lyme Disease Research Report. Sixty-four percent of participants reported experiencing flu-like symptoms early in their illness. Available at: https://www.lymedisease.org/mylymedata-lyme-disease-research-report/
3. Fallon BA, Pavlicova M, Coffino SW, Brenner C. “A Comparison of Lyme Disease Serologic Test Results From Four Laboratories in Patients With Persistent Symptoms After Antibiotic Treatment.” Health-related information from the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research. Center, Columbia University. Available at: https://www.columbia-lyme.org