It has been somewhat of an exciting time lately with Lyme being mentioned on “Coronation Street”, “The Bachelor”, and even “Jeopardy”.

I don’t watch any of the above usually but have started watching “The Bachelor” because one of the contestants, Daisy Kent, is very open about her past struggles with Lyme and she also speaks about her treatment, and answers questions, via TikTok, etc. It’s always great when someone speaks up, but it’s amazing when they actually go into detail about their treatment, and where it was received. In Daisy’s case her main treatment was at Klinik St. Georg in Germany.

The “Coronation Street” storyline was developed with the help of Lyme Disease UK – https://lymediseaseuk.com/2024/01/09/coronation-streets-joseph-brown-diagnosed-with-lyme-disease/. It is wonderful when TV shows, movies, etc., include information on Lyme and Tick-Borne diseases, especially when they ensure that the information is accurate.

A recent episode of “Jeopardy” had as a question – “The Quiet Epidemic” makes the case for the existence of the chronic kind of this disease named for a New England Town. The answer is, of course, “What is Lyme disease?” That quick segment provided watchers with a name of a movie that they could watch, as well as highlight Lyme itself.

These may not seem like much, but they are all reaching different audiences and providing education and awareness. I will take it.

There have been many more mentions of ticks, Lyme and Tick-Borne diseases on a number of shows in the past. “House” had an episode with a patient presenting with Tick Paralysis and he found and extricated the tick from a very private location which, by the way, is one of the warm, moist, areas that ticks love. Shows, such as “Friends”, “Brooklyn NIne-Nine”, “New Amsterdam”, and so many more, also raised the topic. Some mentions are not great. It’s not always an overly helpful addition but, again, it does raise the topic, even if not done accurately, or done in a humorous manner.

Where I’m going with this is that anytime you have the opportunity to mention ticks and Tick-Borne diseases, please do so. As well, share what you can, where you can. The more people that have even a basic knowledge, the better. Hopefully, as awareness is raised, less people will end up with Early or Late disseminated Lyme. Cases will be reduced, and those that do end up with a bite will be treated faster and accurately. Here’s hoping anyway.