By Fred Diamond

In this episode of the Love, Hope, Lyme podcast, I sat down with Olivia Abrams, a 26-year-old entrepreneur, Lyme survivor and advocate, and founder of TiCK MiTT.

What emerged was not just a conversation about a product, but a powerful story about prevention, advocacy, and how lived experience can become a catalyst for change.

We also discussed her appearance on the TV show Shark Tank and why she ultimately chose not to accept two offers.

A childhood diagnosis that shaped a future

Olivia’s Lyme story began when she was just seven years old. Growing up in New York City but spending significant time in the Hudson Valley, one of the most tick-dense regions in the country, exposure was almost inevitable. What wasn’t inevitable was how long it took for her symptoms to be correctly identified.

Her earliest and most alarming symptom was arthritis in her knee which is an unusual condition for a child with no family history of joint disease. Multiple doctor visits and repeated blood tests yielded no clear answers. It wasn’t until a rash appeared on her face that Lyme disease was finally considered.

At the time, in the early 2000s, awareness of Lyme disease was far more limited than it is today. A visible rash was often seen as the defining diagnostic clue. Fortunately for Olivia, her doctor recognized it immediately, started her on antibiotics, and prescribed months of physical therapy.

Because her illness was caught relatively early, Olivia does not experience chronic Lyme symptoms today, but the impact of that experience never left her.

Lyme disease became a constant presence in her family’s life. Everyone in her household has been diagnosed with Lyme at some point. Preventive antibiotics were kept on hand. Tick checks became routine. And the challenge of managing ticks, especially those brought indoors by large, dark-furred dogs, remained a persistent concern.

From personal frustration to product innovation

That concern eventually became the seed for TiCK MiTT. The idea was simple but powerful: make tick checks easier, faster, and more effective without using chemicals.

TiCK MiTT is a reusable glove made from a patented fabric that grabs crawling ticks on contact, much like Velcro. Users can run it over their skin, clothing, pets, or outdoor gear after spending time outside. Any ticks present stick to the mitt before they have a chance to embed and transmit disease.

Importantly, TiCK MiTT is designed as a post-exposure prevention tool. It doesn’t replace repellents or protective clothing, but it fills a critical gap: what people do after they come indoors.

Olivia encourages users to keep one in their car and use it before getting inside to reduce the likelihood of bringing ticks into the home.

The product is chemical-free, washable, and reusable for years. Ticks can be removed manually, flushed away, or killed using a dryer bag included with the mitt.

Today, TiCK MiTT is sold on the company’s website, on Amazon, and in a wide range of retail outlets including independent pet stores, hardware stores, and major brands like Orvis and Duluth Trading Co.

An entrepreneur raised with purpose

Olivia’s entrepreneurial instincts were nurtured early. She grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, where conversations about branding and business strategy were common dinner-table topics.

She was also deeply influenced by mission-driven companies like TOMS, Warby Parker, and Bombas, all brands that tied commercial success to social impact.

That dual influence of business and health became central to TiCK MiTT’s identity. Olivia had also grown up alongside chronic illness. Her father suffered from Clostridium difficile, a dangerous gut infection. This shaped her family’s emphasis on ingredient transparency, prevention, and holistic health.

While she couldn’t solve every health challenge she encountered growing up, she could address one that had directly affected her life: Lyme disease.

The idea for TiCK MiTT was born in 2016, refined over several years, and developed alongside Olivia’s college coursework in entrepreneurship. The company officially launched in March 2023, after pandemic-era uncertainty made earlier timing feel premature.

Since then, growth has been rapid. What started as a few sales per month has expanded into tens of thousands of units sold, with more than 115,000 sold in a single year.

Lyme disease on a national stage: Shark Tank

TiCK MiTT gained national visibility when Olivia appeared on Shark Tank. While the segment focused on business fundamentals, it also became an unexpected platform for Lyme awareness.

The Sharks, Olivia noted, had varying levels of familiarity with Lyme disease. Most understood ticks as a regional nuisance, particularly in places like New York and the Hamptons, but were less aware of the global scope of tick-borne illness.

As Olivia shared statistics on infection rates and disease spread, curiosity grew. One Shark even shared a personal story about a child’s tick bite that required emergency care.

Ultimately, Olivia received two investment offers, both of which she declined. The proposed terms required giving up 30% of the company, which was something she and her family were not prepared to do.

Walking away wasn’t easy, but it was intentional. For Olivia, maintaining control of a mission-driven company mattered more than short-term capital.

Advocacy beyond the product

What makes Olivia’s story especially compelling is that her work doesn’t stop at commerce. She is deeply involved in Lyme advocacy, serving on the board of Project Lyme and working closely with organizations like the Center for Lyme Action. Through these efforts, she stays informed on emerging research and helps connect patients to reliable resources.

Her advocacy focus, however, goes beyond treatment. Olivia is outspoken about a critical gap in Lyme efforts: prevention and awareness.

While funding for diagnostics and therapeutics has increased, she argues that far too little attention is paid to stopping infections in the first place. Citing recent research conducted with Pfizer and Johns Hopkins, Olivia highlighted a troubling statistic: even in high-risk tick areas, only about 40% of people take any preventive action. That number drops closer to 15% when exposure occurs in one’s own backyard.

In her view, this represents a massive failure of public health education.

“I want tick checks to be as automatic as putting on sunscreen,” she explained. Until prevention becomes habitual, especially for children, new cases of Lyme disease will continue to rise.

Looking ahead: awareness, habits, and hope

When asked where she hopes the Lyme community will be a year from now, Olivia’s answer was pragmatic and hopeful. She wants Lyme disease included more consistently in conversations about chronic illness, mental health, and public safety. She wants broader media coverage and public service campaigns. And she wants to see hospitalizations decline as awareness improves.

Research will continue, she acknowledges, but culture must change too.

In closing, Olivia offered a message not just for patients, but for caregivers and loved ones: find something that brings you joy. Recovery and resilience, she believes, require more than medical protocols.

Passion projects, whether involving animals, art, music, or community, give people something to move toward when illness has taken so much away.

Her own passion, fittingly, includes dogs, prevention, and protecting others from ever having to endure what so many in the Lyme community know all too well.

Through TiCK MiTT and her advocacy, Olivia Abrams is helping ensure that fewer people will learn about Lyme disease the hard way and that, for those who already have, hope remains firmly within reach.

Click here to listen to all episodes of the Love, Hope, Lyme Podcast or on YouTube.

Fred Diamond is based in Fairfax, Virginia. His popular book, “Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know” is available on Amazon. The e-version (pdf) of the book is always free to Lyme survivors. PM Fred on Facebook or LinkedIn for your copy.