Why Lyme Disease?

by Maggie Sabota – Miss Cumberland County 2007

“Why Lyme disease?” That was a question that I was asked in one of my pageant interviews. With all who are suffering from cancer and other diseases what made you choose Lyme disease as your platform? Without hesitation, I knew exactly how to answer these questions.

When I was six years old my mother was diagnosed with an incurable form of Lyme disease. She was forced to stop teaching elementary music and go on disability retirement. We also moved into a new house that was handicapped accessible to accommodate her wheel chair and walker.

Growing up, I watched my mom experience many different symptoms of the disease. Severe headaches, light sensitivity, dizziness, difficulty retrieving words, lack of balance and trouble walking to name a few. Due to the relapsing and remitting nature of the disease, she has long periods of feeling fairly well and long times of being very ill.

The past few years my mom has been doing exceptionally well. She was walking without her cane most of the time and was experiencing some relief from the constant pain. She was also able to get back to teaching piano lessons and directing our church choirs. She has also traveled with me to most of my appearances and accompanied me on the piano when I sing.

Recently though, she has had another relapse. During the course of our family vacation at the beach, she went from walking up and down the beach, to not being able to walk across the room. It is almost a month later and she still isn't feeling better. Her severe pain due to nerve damage has returned and she is once again in the wheel chair due to her inability to walk. Unfortunately she is unable to push the wheel chair herself because it causes a lot of pain in her hands. She also has had to postpone teaching her piano lessons and leading the choir until she gets her strength back.

Her relapse has been hard for me to deal with because I am away at college and there isn't much I can do to help her. So, I decided to do something about it. This weekend I made a special trip home from school to surprise my mom. Let me tell you, she was quite surprised when I walked in the door on Friday.

But perhaps I was the one who was most surprised. I come home to find my mom zipping around the house in a new motorized wheel chair with a big smile on her face. The most important lesson that I have learned from my mom is to always think positive. No matter how badly she is feeling she always tries to smile and remembers to count all of the blessings in her life.

So why did I choose to promote Lyme disease Prevention as my pageant platform? Because I know just how much Lyme disease affects not only the person with the disease, but the entire family.