(PHOTO: Rye Mayor Joe Sack, local residents Dawn Merkel, Howard Husock, Jeff Grasso and Margaret Grasso talk ticks and Lyme disease.)
Rye Mayor Joe Sack, who is on a campaign to reduce the number of deer in Rye, recently interviewed a few local residents about their nightmare-ish experiences with Lyme disease on an episode of Eye on Rye.
Lyme disease is spread in part by deer and according to the Lyme disease page on Wikipedia, "A community can reduce the incidence of Lyme disease by reducing the numbers of primary hosts on which the deer tick depends, such as rodents, other small mammals, and deer. Reduction of the deer population may, over time, help break the reproductive cycle of the deer ticks and their ability to flourish in suburban and rural areas."
The Eye on Rye episode is called "Tenacious, Vigilant and Courageous: Coping with Lyme Disease." The Rye area residents candidly discuss their experiences with regard to detection, treatment and prevention of Lyme Disease.
A big THANK YOU to Margaret and Jeff Grasso for sharing their story and their passion for finding treatment for this horrible disease. If not for Margaret, my family would still be treating my son’s Post Chronic Lyme Syndrome as an autoimmune issue with no cure. I urge all people to seek another opinion when your treatment isn’t working. Lyme will trigger your body’s weakest area and lay dormant for years. Lyme patients may look fine to you, but inside they are suffering immeasurable pain and sadness. Life stops as they know it. We need more people to help fight and bring awareness. Thank you to Mayor Sack for starting the dialogue.