Friday, May 1, 2009

Brooke Landau's story from San Diego 6

This is such a great and encouraging story. You may have heard her interviewed on other occasions -- including an appearance in the award-winning Lyme documentary Under Our Skin. Thanks to CanLyme for bringing this to the attention of the Lyme community.

Californians, like many of us in Canada, are frequently told "you couldn't possibly have Lyme -- we don't have it around here" or "your labs are fine, it's all in your head". Granted, California is not the American ground zero for Lyme disease, but the reality is that the disease has been found in every state of the USA and numbers of new cases continue to rise annually (just as it has been found in every province of Canada).

Well Brooke Landau, a weathercaster for San Diego's Channel 6 News, found herself in that situation some 14 years ago. It wasn't until a year after an encounter with a tick that her Lyme symptoms kicked into gear. Inaccurate Lyme tests further delayed her diagnosis for several years. Interestingly, part of her recovery included use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as part of a research study being conducted by her doctor. Brooke's story includes many now familiar themes, including her doctor having to fight in order to keep treating Chronic Lyme disease. After years of treatment, she is now Lyme-free! Those are magic words for many of us in the Lyme community.

You can watch Brooke's inspiring story in the clip below. This originally aired on Sunday, February 1, 2009. This link goes to a more detailed written account of the story on San Diego 6's website.

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