Ink to End Lyme: My Personal Experience

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​One reason people get tattoos is to commemorate an important experience. When I was struggling to get a diagnosis and at rock bottom, I promised myself I would get a tattoo when I finally found the answer. I wanted the tattoo to represent the fact that I never, ever gave up, even when it seemed like I might not get better.

As it turned out the diagnosis was only the beginning. Through the process I learned a lot about myself and felt my purpose shifting. A health professional I follow on Facebook posted this quote from Thich Nhat Hanh:

The phrase, "no mud, no lotus" rang too true for me. There are so many beautiful things that have grown out of this illness: I have found medical professionals that I trust, I have met tons of amazing people, I started my writing career, I started eating nutritious foods, I made meditation and yoga a priority, and I completely, re-framed my outlook on life. The biggest thing was it gave me the bravery to leave my job.   

Oprah says when the universe wants to tell you something it starts with a whisper. My whisper started 10 years ago and kept getting louder and louder. Getting sick was the universe screaming at me, "You're going the wrong way." Without this illness I never would've found my way back to my true path.

One day I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, and I came upon a tweet about the Lyme Warrior campaign "Ink to End Lyme."

It was the excuse I was waiting for to get my next tattoo. I found out there is a tattoo artist in Chicago who also has Lyme and was participating in the event.

I contacted Kyle Adani at Revolution Tattoo and asked if he would do my tattoo. He graciously accepted and designed a beautiful lotus flower tattoo.

Here he is at work. Doesn't hurt a bit:

​And here is the finished product:

​It was such a special experience to get a tattoo about my Lyme journey done by another Lyme warrior. We talked about our shared experience, as all Lyme patients tend to do when we meet, and it resulted in a very meaningful piece of art.

Tattoos aren't for everyone, but many Lyme patients feel compelled to document their experience. It's not my first and it won't be my last; it marks another chapter in this long and beautiful journey.

"The lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud." - Buddhist Proverb