RFK Jr. Lyme Roundtable Follow Up from Lyme Disease Advocates
Release Date: 12/22/2025
Love, Hope, Lyme Podcast
This is episode 73 of the Love, Hope, Lyme podcast. To get your free pdf of "Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know," reach out to Fred Diamond on social media. [NOTE: This podcast does not replace medical treatment. If you struggle with Lyme care, please see a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.] In this powerful and deeply moving episode of the Love, Hope, Lyme Podcast, host Fred Diamond welcomes back Rabbi Melinda Bernstein and Gregg Kirk, two extraordinary guests for an honest, soulful conversation about the spiritual dimensions...
info_outlineLove, Hope, Lyme Podcast
This is episode 72 of the Love, Hope, Lyme podcast. To get your free pdf of "Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know," reach out to Fred Diamond on social media. [NOTE: This podcast does not replace medical treatment. If you struggle with Lyme care, please see a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.] Historic Moment for Lyme Advocacy. RFK Jr. Roundtable Reactions & What Comes Next In this special episode of the Love, Hope, Lyme Podcast, host Fred Diamond, author of Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who...
info_outlineLove, Hope, Lyme Podcast
This is episode 71 of the Love, Hope, Lyme podcast. To get your free pdf of "Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know," reach out to Fred Diamond on social media. [NOTE: This podcast does not replace medical treatment. If you struggle with Lyme care, please see a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.] In this episode of the Love, Hope, Lyme Podcast, host Fred Diamond sits down with Olivia Abrams, founder of TiKK MiTT and a Lyme disease survivor who turned prevention into purpose. Olivia shares her personal Lyme story beginning with...
info_outlineLove, Hope, Lyme Podcast
This is episode 70 of the Love, Hope, Lyme podcast. To get your free pdf of "Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know," reach out to Fred Diamond on social media. [NOTE: This podcast does not replace medical treatment. If you struggle with Lyme care, please see a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.] Why do so many people with chronic Lyme and other persistent infections do everything right… yet still not get better? In this episode of Love, Hope, Lyme, host Fred Diamond sits down with Dr. Melanie Stein a naturopathic physician,...
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In this powerful episode of Love, Hope, Lyme, Fred Diamond sits down with singer-songwriter and Lyme advocate Jesse Ruben for a deep, honest, and emotional breakdown of his song “Monster.” Jesse opens up about the terrifying return of his Lyme and Babesiosis, the years of misdiagnosis, the isolation, the brain fog, the burning pain, and the desperate search for answers that so many Lyme survivors know all too well. For the first time, Jesse walks through Monster line by line — how the lyrics came to him during the darkest hours of his illness, why he nearly kept the song off the album,...
info_outlineLove, Hope, Lyme Podcast
This is episode 68 of the Love, Hope, Lyme podcast. To get your free pdf of "Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know," reach out to Fred Diamond on social media. [NOTE: This podcast does not replace medical treatment. If you struggle with Lyme care, please see a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.] What does it really mean to be a Lyme Warrior? đź’š In this powerful episode of Love, Hope, Lyme, host Fred Diamond talks with Lauren Lovejoy, founder of Lyme Warrior, about her 12-year journey from losing her health and career to...
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In this episode of Love, Hope, Lyme, Fred Diamond speaks with Dr. Korine Kolivras, professor of geography at Virginia Tech, whose groundbreaking research challenges the long-held belief that “we don’t have Lyme here.” Dr. Kolivras, author of a chapter in Appalachian Epidemics: From Smallpox to COVID, shares how geography, land use, and even bird migration contribute to the spread of Lyme disease across Virginia, Appalachia, and beyond. She explains why the maps we rely on underestimate the true reach of Lyme, how land development and resource extraction may accelerate tick expansion, and...
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This is episode 66 of the Love, Hope, Lyme Podcast. In this special Love, Hope, Lyme podcast with Fred Diamond, Athena Brownson shares how she went from the heights of professional skiing to the depths of chronic illness. After years of competing around the world, a Lyme diagnosis forced her to rebuild her life from the ground up. In this heartfelt conversation, Athena shares how she faced unimaginable physical and emotional challenges from misdiagnoses and loss of identity to rebuilding her health, career, and sense of purpose. Her story is one of courage, reinvention, and hope. Through Lyme,...
info_outlineLove, Hope, Lyme Podcast
This is episode 65 of the Love, Hope, Lyme podcast. To get your free pdf of "Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know," reach out to Fred Diamond on social media. [NOTE: This podcast does not replace medical treatment. If you struggle with Lyme care, please see a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.] In this powerful conversation, Fred Diamond welcomes back Col. (Ret.) Nicole Malachowski, the first female Thunderbird pilot and a leading Lyme advocate, alongside Dr. Kent Kester, infectious disease physician and executive director at...
info_outlineLove, Hope, Lyme Podcast
This is episode 64 of the Love, Hope, Lyme podcast. To get your free pdf of "Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know," reach out to Fred Diamond on social media. [NOTE: This podcast does not replace medical treatment. If you struggle with Lyme care, please see a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.] 🎙️ In this powerful episode of Love, Hope, Lyme, Fred Diamond sits down with Kristen Harris, Education and Grants Manager at the Global Lyme Alliance (GLA), to explore the vital role of mentoring in the Lyme disease community. Kristen...
info_outlineThis is episode 72 of the Love, Hope, Lyme podcast.
To get your free pdf of "Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know," reach out to Fred Diamond on social media.
[NOTE: This podcast does not replace medical treatment. If you struggle with Lyme care, please see a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.]
Historic Moment for Lyme Advocacy. RFK Jr. Roundtable Reactions & What Comes Next
In this special episode of the Love, Hope, Lyme Podcast, host Fred Diamond, author of Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know, convenes a powerful panel of Lyme advocates, researchers, and survivors to reflect on a pivotal week for the Lyme community.
Just days after the RFK Jr. Lyme Disease Roundtables in Washington, D.C., this episode captures real-time reactions to what many are calling a historic turning point when federal leadership publicly acknowledged chronic Lyme disease, condemned medical gaslighting, and outlined tangible steps toward research, funding, and accountability.
🎙️ Featured Panelists
Ali Moresco – Founder of Moresco PR, Board Chair of Project Lyme, longtime advocate and communications leader in the tick-borne illness space
Nikki Schultek – Research leader, founder of multiple pathobiome initiatives, Lyme survivor, and board member of ILADEF
Meghan Bradshaw – Executive Director of the Center for Lyme Action, leading federal policy and funding advocacy efforts Together, they discuss:
💚 What made this week’s HHS and White House engagement different from past hearings
💚 Why statements like “Lyme patients will no longer be gaslit” matter—and what must follow
đź’š Federal funding, diagnostics, Medicare coverage, and clinical trials
đź’š The urgent need for collaboration between government, clinicians, researchers, and advocates
đź’š How patients, caregivers, and supporters can turn momentum into lasting change
This conversation is both hopeful and grounded celebrating progress while emphasizing that advocacy, accountability, and action must continue.