Lyme disease is more common than you might think. The CDC estimates that there are 476,000 new cases in the U.S. each year.

With the arrival of spring, you’re more likely to be outside enjoying life – planting flowers, taking the dog for a walk, anything to get some fresh air.

A tick that can infect you with Lyme disease can be as small as the period at the end of this sentence.

“It mimics conditions such as arthritis, bell's palsy, migraine, fibromyalgia, among others. It can be misdiagnosed as over half the people bitten by a tick do not remember it. I was one of those people,” said Rhonda Howdyshell, founder of the Valley Lyme Support Forum and an education ambassador for the Global Lyme Alliance.

Howdyshell had an embedded tick removed by camp counselors in Harrisonburg in 1962. She came down with a rash afterwards and has experienced many health challenges since.

“Lyme disease just wasn’t on our radar in the ‘60s, so I wasn’t properly diagnosed and treated until four years ago,” Howdyshell said.

If your group/organization/church would like a presentation about Lyme disease you can contact her at: (540) 292-0978 or on Facebook at Valley Lyme Support Forum.