Since this is my personal site, called “Ticks & Stones”, i felt this was the appropriate venue to clarify some issues that have recently surfaced. Since i am a public Lyme Literate Advocate™ in the state of Illinois against our health care system i feel an explanation is due to my readers, colleagues and family.

I know everyone has seen a big change in me. No, i am not on any drugs or drinking..hahaha.. i probably should be…but some things in my personal life took a turn in the road that i was not expecting.

I know i do not have to explain myself to anyone, there is only ONE i must explain to……but my integrity is at stake and most important to me and that is why i am posting this missive.

I have worked long and hard for sick folks in the health community for the past 5 years. I have obtained free air flights and medication to those who could not receive help by any other means. I have given endless hours and money out of my own pocket to help those who could not afford services. I have tangled with endless nasty state health employees, doctors and state officials for our health and to promote Lyme’s mere existence. I have also dealt with endless not-so-good people and groups within the Lyme community—-even my own circle of friends to show everyone what is really going on concerning Lyme and the different co-infections.

There have been lies told and we have been ridiculed by those who do not want the truth exposed. Myself, I  have endured so much being deathly ill — still working and finishing college full-time and raising our three sons after my husbands death. I kept going on because the truth is more important, not me. It’s not about me or having my name out there, it is about loving and helping one another.

I do it mainly for the children and elderly who are dying and remain crippled due to this bacterial infection they are calling Lyme. I do it to expose the corruption in our health care system. And i can truthfully say, the Lyme Cryme website Randy Sykes, Kathleen Dickson, Karen Forschner and i worked on changed the worlds view against the way they look at and treat for Lyme disease. The whole world does not go by the United States Center for Disease Controls “recommendations” for Lyme disease testing anymore. Everywhere but here…where it all started, go figure. The world calls it for what it truly is, Neuroborreliosis; Lyme is just a town in Connecticut.

I spent endless hours reading and educating myself so i could get better and then teach you. I have recovered from both Lyme and Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever for almost two years now and i am still advocating for the sick. I did not leave you or just melt away like most people who get sick from this and then recover. I am still here advocating. I took over 10 calls this weekend seeking sanction, a friendly voice and advice. One local doctor calls me on some cases she expects might be “Lyme” and asks me for my opinion and what she should do.

Recently, a good friend wrote to me in confidence.  She knew i would tell her the truth, so she came to the source.

She told me the talk around the “Lyme water cooler” was that i was having an affair with someone who was married in Sicily. She was defending my integrity to the gossip mongers because she knows me and knows i would never do anything like that to anyone or myself.

So to put everyone at ease at the water cooler and beyond, i will answer to this short and sweet. Please keep in mind i initially went to Sicily to take part in a protest and to see the town where my family came from. Before i went, I did meet someone and became online friends with them.

Being an independent like myself we shared the same views on politics and only wanting the best for people. The best part was, i liked him. Not that i am conceited or anything of the sort, but it takes a very special good man to spark my interest. The last man i felt this way about i was married to for 18 years.

So,
Yes, he was married.
Yes, he told me when i asked.
Yes, i was devastated.
No, i do not feel differently about him.
Yes, i am sad beyond belief.
Yes, with time, i will recover.

I did meet with him on my journey in Sicily. He treated me with the utmost respect and was nothing short of a gentlemen. Today, we remain friends and i wish nothing but the best for him and his family. He is a born leader and a good man. I am confident he will go on to do beautiful works for his city in the appropriate manner it so deserves.

However, i must admit i am still quite a mess and i am trying to recover so please give me some time, i promise i will be back to the Dottie i once was.

I will keep researching, writing and reporting about health issues and doing my best to bring awareness and help to those who are in pain and suffering. I want to take a moment and Thank all the people who have stuck by me over the years and gave me the courage and strength to go on.

Standing up for the truth when you know you are right is sometimes very lonely. And in the end,  if you helped just one person, then you have done well. To little Dottie, its all about giving back to a world that has given so much to her.

So please remember,

“Sometimes we can not choose who or how we love……love chooses for us, using one single random act of friendship.”

♥