Since our last newsletter, Lyme Research Alliance has been in peak activity mode as we prepare for our "Time for Lyme" Gala on April 6, our "Race Against Lyme" 5k Walk/Run on April 28, and various Lyme Awareness Month initiatives in the month of May.

It's been rewarding to watch how committed our LRA committee members and volunteers have been in working to support our mission. The time, energy and personal sacrifice has been nothing short of amazing! Due to the ongoing success of the Gala and the important role it plays in LRA's overall fundraising, the Board has made the decision to hold the Gala annually rather than in alternating years.

Between the Gala, the Race and our other events we now have a huge need for committee members and volunteers; without your help these events would not be possible. The Gala committee for 2014 will be forming shortly!

In the meantime, we hope you'll be joining us at the Gala. It's our major annual fundraiser and we're hoping for a sell-out crowd. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, I hope you will. It promises to be an exciting night. With our celebrity guests, renowned scientific researchers in the Lyme field, and a packed roster of live and silent auction items, we have a great evening planned for everybody. 

I look forward to seeing you there!

Peter Wild

We have a who's who of Lyme disease researchers attending the Gala, outstanding honorees and a dizzying array of auction items.

On the morning of the Gala, LRA will host a closed-door Lyme Research Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich, where the Gala will be held, for approximately 20 eminent members of the research community who are either current LRA grant recipients or members of LRA's newly-expanded Scientific Advisory Board. The symposium is a unique peer-to-peer scientific forum at which Lyme researchers can exchange information and resources, in the interest of accelerating the discovery process.

Among those arriving from abroad will be Judith Miklossy, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Alzheimer Research Center in Switzerland. Author of many papers and reference works, she is an expert in spirochete microbiology and neuropathology.  

Attending the symposium will be Steven Schutzer, M.D., of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and Mark Eshoo, Ph.D., director, New Technology Department, Abbott Laboratories. The two award-winning scientists will be recognized at the Gala with the Lauren F. Brooks Hope Award, honoring those who are making strides in research and treatment in the pursuit of a Lyme disease cure.    

In addition to Drs. Schutzer and Eshoo, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" season-three cast member, Yolanda Foster, will be honored at the Gala with the Star Light Award. The Dutch-born former model, married to Grammy Award-winning music producer David Foster, is suffering from chronic Lyme, fighting it publicly, and lending her voice to our efforts to raise research funds.

Finally, for the first time ever, we will be offering online bidding of the items being auctioned at the Gala. Items run the gamut from a week in a fabulous home on Mustique  to artwork by legendary Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood. And a two-year lease on a 2013 Mercedes-Benz will be raffled. Stay tuned for further details!

Earlier this month, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell signed into law the Lyme Disease Testing Information Disclosure Act. Under this groundbreaking law, patients being tested for Lyme disease must be informed that early tests are sometimes inaccurate and a negative test result doesn't mean they don't have Lyme disease.

The new law, which goes into effect July 1, was hailed by Barbara Comstock, the delegate who introduced the legislation, as a "great step in raising awareness about this terrible disease."

In Massachusetts, the long-awaited report of the MA Lyme Disease Commission was finally released. It urges state officials to take stronger steps to combat Lyme, from launching more aggressive public education campaigns to exploring expanded crossbow hunting to cut down on the number of deer that may be carrying ticks.

"We need to let people know how prevalent Lyme disease is in Massachusetts," said State Rep. David Linsky. "If you ask friends and ask your neighbors, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't been touched by Lyme."

On March 14, his 84th birthday, Dr. Charles Ray Jones, the Lyme-treating pediatrician who has been harassed for years for not following the treatment guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, appealed the Connecticut Medical Board decision to discipline him in 2007. His attorney argued before the State Supreme Court that the state board used a low standard of proof when it disciplined him for the way he treated two Nevada children with Lyme disease.                                               

Dr. Jones prescribed antibiotics based on phone conversations with their mother. The board reprimanded him, fined him $10,000 and put him on two years' probation in 2007. However, Dr. Jones, who has successfully treated more than 10,000 children with chronic Lyme disease, denied he violated care standards and said the children's health improved.

You can read the Associated Press article about the hearing by clicking this link . Quoted in the piece is LRA co-president Diane Blanchard who says, "the science is evolving, but here they are persecuting a doctor." The court's decision on Dr. Jones appeal may take months.