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In 1965, I married a beautiful, intelligent, strong-willed woman. We had two children and struggled to make ends meet. She got a job to help out. With just a high school diploma she went from a file clerk to a stock trader making more than I in just a few years. Everything was going great, we bought a house, went on vacations. In 1976, she had a weird-looking rash on her back, went to the doctor and he put a Band- Aid on it. Within the next few months she was so fatigued, she could hardly stand up. Other pains and symptoms came and went. I took her to numerous doctors. They all said it was, in her head, stress from the job, boredom, and what ever came to their minds for not having a diagnosis for her illness. I myself, knew she was ill. This was NOT my wife. We continued to scout for a doctor who would listen. In 1982, a neurologist took a spinal tap checking for M.S. The test came back negative, but he said he did believe she had "something," but did not know what. She had to quit her job in 1984 and we moved to Oakdale. Our local paper had printed an article about Lyme disease. She read the symptoms and was sure this was what she had. We went to the neurologists at Stony Brook for testing in 1986, all negative. Three neurologists agreed, she should "get a job". I took her by the hand and said, "Let's get out of here, these doctors don't know who and what they are talking about". After a while of visiting so many doctors, instead of going in, I would wait in the car, reading the paper just knowing what they would tell her again. I didn't want to hear more of the doctors excuses for her. I felt bad for her but my hands were tied. In 1994, she read an article in Newsday about a woman who was suing her insurance company for lack of payment for the treatment of Lyme disease. The treating doctor's name was listed and she called for an appointment. We had to return to him the following week for the results. Once again, I waited in the car, reading the paper. It was raining. She came out of the office to the car crying, "I have Lyme!" We both cried like babies in front of the doctor. She finally had a diagnosis. My wife was going to be "cured" according to the doctor. She was put on an I.V. for many months and did not get well. Little did we know, once Lyme invades the central nervous system it is very hard, if not impossible, to "cure". Now, she has her good days and mostly, bad days, but we are dealing with it. I think most people would have given up by now. It's hard for me, sometimes, but I think of how she was before she got Lyme and all the good times we shared. It makes me want to be with her and comfort her on her bad days. Someone once said, "Never give up hope, hope is a good thing and good things never die". 
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