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Syracuse University Student Spreads Lyme Disease Awareness Syracuse University Student Spreads Lyme Disease Awareness

By Collin Davies

Reporter Collin Davies: The recent warm weather in Central New York is bringing people outside. But it’s also bringing ticks back out, and that means more people are at risk of Lyme disease. Alexis Raleigh is a student at Syracuse University who has had the disease for years. She’s warning people about the symptoms of Lyme.

Alexis Raleigh: Lyme disease causes so many different issues to your body. I would stand up and pass out. That’s what Potts is. A lot of joint and muscle pain. A lot of eye issues. Like I wouldn’t be able to see sometimes. And that was all caused from the Lyme disease.

Reporter:Over 460,000 people per year get Lyme disease in the United States alone. Tick season runs from March all the way through November. And ticks can come out anytime above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Raleigh went through a lot, including having to go out of the country for treatment. And yet Lyme disease is still not an issue most people discuss. That’s where Raleigh comes in.

Raleigh: Raleigh went through a lot, including having to go out of the country for treatment. And yet Lyme disease is still not an issue most people discuss. That’s where Raleigh comes in.

Reporter: Her YouTube page has helped a lot of people through their tough times.

Raleigh: “I actually just had someone reach out to me today from Canada and they said they, ‘I came across your YouTube video. It was amazing and I really need help because I think I have Lyme disease.’ That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to be an advocate and spread awareness to people because I don’t want people to go through what I went through.”

Reporter: So, remember when you’re going out with friends or family this summer, put on tick spray. Collin Davies, from Syracuse, N-C-C News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)— Spring is underway in Central New York, and tick season is coming with it. Tick season will put more people at danger of getting Lyme disease.

Alexis Raleigh is a student at Syracuse University who has had Lyme disease for years. She is warning people about the symptoms of Lyme.

“Lyme disease causes so many different issues to your body. I would stand up and pass out. That’s what Potts is. A lot of joint and muscle pain. A lot of eye issues. Like I wouldn’t be able to see sometimes. And that was all caused from the Lyme disease,” Raleigh said.

Lyme is not a rare disease, with over 476,000 Americans getting it every year. And tick season runs from March through November.

Lyme disease caused Raleigh to go through a big struggle including getting treatment outside of the United States. Raleigh wants to bring awareness to the severity and prevalence of Lyme.

“I actually have my own YouTube page and I’m creating my own website for Lyme disease awareness. And with that I told my story to educate others. I told them how I got treatment. So many people in the States don’t know where to go, don’t even know they have Lyme. So, I try to bring my knowledge. I’m not a doctor, but I know a lot about it. I lived it,” Raleigh said.

Raleigh’s YouTube recently helped someone.

“I actually just had someone reach out to me today from Canada and they said they, ‘I came across your YouTube video. It was amazing and I really need help because I think I have Lyme disease.’ That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to be an advocate and spread awareness to people because I don’t want people to go through what I went through,” Raleigh said.

Raleigh wants to reminder people to be safe this season and wear tick repellent.

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