They Didn't Know: My Personal Journey with Lyme Disease documents author Martha M. Conan's experience battling this crippling illness in three parts: first, her youth, family relationships, and numerous misdiagnoses; the second, her Lyme disease treatment with her first Lyme doctor; and the third, her Lyme treatment with her second Lyme doctor and where she is today.
Conan powerfully depicts how her disease has changed everything that she does, will do, and hopes to do in the future. She focuses on the medical issues of Lyme disease - with her doctor's treatment and her faith, Conan knows there is a light, even a small one, at the end of the tunnel. Conan hopes that readers will be encouraged by her journey and find a doctor who understands what the patient is going through and sees the whole picture.
After eleven years of misdiagnoses and the struggles of finding a doctor who treats Lyme, Conan hopes that her story will raise awareness about Lyme disease. This is a worldwide epidemic that can become chronic and alter a person's life forever.
About the Authors
Martha M. Conan grew up in central New York. She was adopted at a young age and had two brothers and one sister. Her father was a physician and her mother was a social worker who remained home to take care of the children. Snow and water skiing, swimming, and hiking were common activities, as well as attending concerts, football, and basketball games. Conan attended a Catholic high school and college while studying ceramics and art history. She went on to graduate school at Syracuse University and received a degree in rehabilitation therapy with a focus on mental health and substance abuse. Wanting to learn more about holistic healing, Conan applied and was accepted into a program for acupuncture and Chinese medicine at New York State Chiropractic College. Unfortunately, she was not able to complete her second master's degree due to her declining health.
When Conan was diagnosed with Lyme disease, she was able to implement the information she gained throughout her years in school to forge ahead and look outside of the box to heal. She has a strong Catholic faith. As a result of her complications with Lyme, Conan is not able to work, but does run a Lyme support group in her home for Lyme patients and their family and friends. She is a member of ILADS, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society and on the board of the Empire State Lyme Disease Organization.
