You might not think that a mini-series called “Girl at a Bar” is about Lyme disease. But it is.

Or more specifically, it’s about a young woman trying to return to normalcy after Lyme disease stole five years of her life.

“Girl at a Bar” is the work of Tracy Mullholland, an actress, writer, producer, and singer who lives in Southern California. Though fictional, it’s based on her personal experience with tick-borne illness.

“I wanted to use my story to create a series that raises awareness for Lyme disease and gives voice to the millions of people suffering from Lyme and other chronic and invisible illnesses rarely seen on screen,” she said.

“My hope is that by having a person on screen who has suffered from Lyme and showing them navigating life, love, career, and family with humor and humanity, we will help those suffering feel seen, prevent others from contracting the disease, and create empathy for journeys we may not be aware of or understand.”

Tracy Mulholland with Osric Chau in Episode 1 of ‘Girl at a Bar’

With support by a grant from the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, Tracy created a story told in five 10-minute episodes.

Isolation and financial woes

“Girl at a Bar” illustrates the isolation that comes with chronic illness, as well as other challenges, such as financial woes.

“Gabby [the main character] cannot live independently, so she lives in her sister’s garage,” Tracy explained. “She is in debt from loss of work and treatment not covered by insurance. Paying for a drink at a bar a couple of times a month is not in the budget, but it’s Gabby’s ticket to the outside world in the series.”

To learn more about “Girl at a Bar” and how Tracy’s personal Lyme experiences inspired it, read this interview from the Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

Click below to view the mini series on YouTube.

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.