May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month
Read as Nicole interviews Lyme Survivor, Author and Lyme Disease Advocate, Rosa L. NeSmith
BAM: Who is Rosa L. NeSmith?
RLN: In addition to an entrepreneurial spirit, I am an active Philanthropist. Over a four year term, I served as Co-Founder & Executive Director of a nonprofit organization for the insurance industry. I have served the community for 25 years in various insurance capacities with various national insurance companies. I am the mother of 2 young adult children. I thrive with just one bottom line in mind: A personal commitment to helping others solve problems and achieve their maximum potential.
BAM: How did you contract Lyme Disease?
RLN: I contracted Lyme disease from the bite of an infected tick while working in my garden. I had the symptoms within 10 days of the bite, but did not get diagnosed UNTIL 4 YEARS LATER! The difficulty in getting diagnosed is what causes the infection to destroy internal organs.
BAM:What is Lyme Disease?
RLN: Lyme disease is a serious bacterial infection transmitted by infected ticks. Deer, Squirrels and domestic pets are carriers of infected ticks.
BAM: Is there a cure?
RLN: I am not a medical professional. But to my understanding, there is no known cure at present. Mainstream doctors can barely diagnose the infection because when the bacteria is injected into the body it takes the shape of a worm and has the ability to hide in the body’s cells and tissues, therefore not appearing in a normal blood test.
BAM: How were you treated?
RLN: I am not a medical professional. But, I was treated over a 9 month period with 3 different antibiotics and holistic medications.
BAM: What type of symptoms did you have?
RLN: My symptoms were many; Very deep intense pain from head to toe radiating from internal organs, joint pains, severe insomnia, brain fog. In the near death stage I rapidly lost 30 pounds.
BAM: How can we prevent ourselves from catching Lyme Disease ?
RLN: I am not a medical professional. I am not sure we can prevent it. Because the infected ticks are barely visible to the naked eye, many patients do not get the classic bull’s eye rash. Cover up when you go outside (backyard barbecues, parks, camping, yard work, etc) even in warm temperatures. Many experts say use repellent.
BAM: What does it do to your body?
RLN: I am not a medical professional. When the bacterial is left untreated it can destroy the internal organs and it feels like the body is starting to shut down, that is what happened to me.
BAM: How did it affect your day to day activities?
RLN: In my darkest hours with the disease, I was bedridden for almost 1 year. I was handicapped. Even after graduating to the walker, obviously it was a chore for personal grooming, there were no everyday activities. At present, I have good days and bad days, basically my joints hurt daily, but I can’t stop living!
BAM: Tell me about your testimony
RLN: Before Lyme disease, I raced against time as a busy insurance professional. I believe God used the disease to get my attention. Now I am vibrant for Him and I have nothing but time on my side. I feel like I am being lead now by a higher power than myself!
BAM: BAM is a moment of hope,inspiration and solutions. Encourage someone that may be facing something similar to what you have faced and may feel like giving up.
RLN: During my darkest hours of Lyme disease, I had to surrender from my own strength, literally I had no more strength it was all taken from me. When I realized the doctors did not know what was wrong with me, I turned to prayer while on my bed of affliction. I thank God for my mother for raising me up in the church so that when the storms and winds blew my way in life, I knew where to go for my source of strength. When I was weak He gave me strength in my mind & body, soon my body, mind and spirit chimed together as a sense of balance was achieved. He forced me to a place of stillness and I will be forever grateful! “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
BAM: Where does your strength come from?
RLN: My strength is in God who comforts me and dwells in my heart. During my darkest hours of living with Lyme disease, my daughter took care of me. She also gave me the will to live and not give up to the devastating effects of my body. This is one of my favorite scriptures: Phillippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
To learn more about Lyme disease visit www.lsan.net. To order the book, visit, www.lymesurvivor.net. For media inquiries dial 1-888-600-9330, ext 2. In observance of May, National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, I am blessing individuals who wish to learn more by reading my book: A Race Against Time: Living With Lyme. Free quantities are limited, readers/viewers can email their mailing address to carl@lsan.net and indicate why they want to read about Lyme disease.
BAM: Tell me about your book, A Race Against Time : Living With Lyme
I wrote the book A Race Against Time: Living With Lyme to bring awareness to Lyme disease by using my life experiences to highlight the difficulty in getting diagnosed and to expose the type of human suffering that comes from an infected tick bite when left untreated.
My vision for the book is to reach every household in America and for my life to be a blessing to the readers. The disease, the book and the stepping stones made me realize my life is not my own!
BAM: What’s the cost and where can we purchase the book?
RLN: Thanks in advance. The book can be purchased at www.lymesurvivor.net for $15.95, or www.amazon.com a portion of book proceeds will be donated to Lyme Disease Research.
With a heavy heart and a thirst for more hours in the day, Rosa retreated to her colorful garden for a little introspection. The deer enjoyed the magical colors of her garden, also! She brought her thoughts with her and the deer brought a poppy seed sized terror, barely visible to the naked eye! In only a split second, a blood sucking tick traced the scent of her blood and turned her life into a horrific nightmare! How can something so small cause you to lose it all?
A Race Against Time: Living With Lyme is a creative nonfiction memoir telling the story of a suffering Lyme disease patient’s tremendous resilience. Rosa raced against time in a desperate search of a medical explanation for the rapid 30 pound weight loss and other debilitating symptoms. Her shoulder blades poked out like wings on a beastly species and they remained glued to her loose fitting clothing for almost a year. The pains tormented her frail body from head to toe, year after year, she suffered! Rosa saw over 15 doctors in a 4 year period and nearly died before finally getting diagnosed with Lyme disease.