a:3:{s:4:"date";s:0:"";s:5:"title";s:19:"Glimmers of Hope…";s:7:"details";s:5276:"Amongst life’s challenges and uncertainties, glimmers of hope serve as my guiding light even in the darkest time of my life. These small but powerful moments such as: a phone call with my daughters, a snuggle with my granddaughters, encouraging words from family & friends, a belly laugh with my best friends and finding pennies from heaven.  These glimpses of positivity have inspired resilience and reminded me that better days are always possible on this Lyme disease journey. My name is Nerissa (aka Ms. Zink). I am a mom to three incredible daughters a “nana” to the two most precious gifts and a teacher of tiny humans.  For most of my adulthood, I have been struggling with a chronic illness that has been difficult to make sense of, mostly because I never know what each day will bring. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be publicly sharing  my Lyme disease journey, speaking so openly about the impact it has had on me, my family, friends, and co-workers or asking for financial assistance. This all began in 1997 when I was bitten by a tick while camping in North Dakota. At the time I was treated for viral meningitis and after 3 months of flu-like symptoms I started to feel better and was able to finish my final year of college. Over the next few years, I started my teaching career and had two more children. Life was good. In July of 2002 we moved from ND to Reno, Nevada and by early 2003 the flu-like symptoms began again. During this time, I went to countless physicians and specialists as the symptoms of fatigue, joint & nerve pain, migraines, seizures, cognitive difficulties and unexplained neurological symptoms continued to wreak havoc on my body.  Eventually I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue and given an insane amount of medication to mask the symptoms. It worked for a while and I was able to continue my teaching career, start a dance business for young kids and continue making memories with my family. Fast forward to September 2010 when I woke up unable to move the right side of my body or speak a coherent sentence. This is when life as I knew it would change forever and the person I once was, would be told on countless occasions that I could not possibly be this sick, it was depression, anxiety and stress inducing these symptoms.   I eventually  found a clinic in Reno that utilized conventional and alternative treatments and after extensive blood work, I was diagnosed with Late-Stage Lyme Disease along with multiple tick-borne co-infections including Babesia & Bartonella, Heavy Metal Toxicity, Histamine intolerance  & CIRS. I did treatment at this clinic for 5 months with little to no improvements. It was then we felt it was best for our family to move back to ND to be close to family as I had started with a Lyme Literate physician in California and my treatment plan would be changing.  We were told that during treatment my ability to function would be dramatically impaired. I did 3 years of IV and oral antibiotic therapy and spent many days in bed.   Progress was made but it was very slow, and my once bright light started to dim. By late 2014,  with the help of a natural path doctor I was able to return to teaching part time. A glimmer of hope that my once healthy self would return. Over the years I have gone back and forth between treatments with the stigma of ‘it’s all in your head’ following me. With diseases that are mostly autoimmune and not outwardly visible to the public, it makes it very hard to explain why I simply cannot do certain things. Due to delays in diagnosis and inadequate treatment, this disease has progressed to Chronic Lyme, mold toxicity, CIRS and a host of other diagnosis. This has left me struggling with constant pain, overwhelming fatigue, and significant cognitive challenges. Simple daily activities have become monumental tasks and my ability to work and support myself has been severely impacted. In May I  made the heart wrenching decision to take a medical leave of absence from a career I love to focus on my health and healing. The treatment for Chronic Lyme disease is complex and is often not covered by insurance. It involves a combination of antibiotics, specialized therapies, dietary adjustments and holistic approaches. These treatments are crucial to managing my symptoms and regaining some semblance of normalcy in life. In addition to medical treatments there are expenses for travel to specialists, supplements, and lifestyle adjustments that are necessary to support my recovery. The financial burden has become overwhelming, and I am at a point where I cannot continue this fight alone. I am currently in Nashville under  the care of a functional medicine doctor and neurologist. They are detoxing my body from high levels of mold. Because both Lyme and mold exposure involve a significant toxin burden on the body, we are addressing the mold first so that my body can better handle the additional stress of Lyme treatment. This treatment includes: Labs, Medication and Supplementation, Infusions for Detoxification, Ozone IV Therapy. Click HERE to watch a video update.";}

Glimmers of Hope…

Amongst life’s challenges and uncertainties, glimmers of hope serve as my guiding light even in the darkest time of my life. These small but powerful moments such as: a phone call with my daughters, a snuggle with my granddaughters, encouraging words from family & friends, a belly laugh with my best friends and finding pennies from heaven.  These glimpses of positivity have inspired resilience and reminded me that better days are always possible on this Lyme disease journey.

My name is Nerissa (aka Ms. Zink). I am a mom to three incredible daughters a “nana” to the two most precious gifts and a teacher of tiny humans.  For most of my adulthood, I have been struggling with a chronic illness that has been difficult to make sense of, mostly because I never know what each day will bring. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be publicly sharing  my Lyme disease journey, speaking so openly about the impact it has had on me, my family, friends, and co-workers or asking for financial assistance.

This all began in 1997 when I was bitten by a tick while camping in North Dakota. At the time I was treated for viral meningitis and after 3 months of flu-like symptoms I started to feel better and was able to finish my final year of college. Over the next few years, I started my teaching career and had two more children. Life was good. In July of 2002 we moved from ND to Reno, Nevada and by early 2003 the flu-like symptoms began again. During this time, I went to countless physicians and specialists as the symptoms of fatigue, joint & nerve pain, migraines, seizures, cognitive difficulties and unexplained neurological symptoms continued to wreak havoc on my body.  Eventually I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue and given an insane amount of medication to mask the symptoms. It worked for a while and I was able to continue my teaching career, start a dance business for young kids and continue making memories with my family.

Fast forward to September 2010 when I woke up unable to move the right side of my body or speak a coherent sentence. This is when life as I knew it would change forever and the person I once was, would be told on countless occasions that I could not possibly be this sick, it was depression, anxiety and stress inducing these symptoms.   I eventually  found a clinic in Reno that utilized conventional and alternative treatments and after extensive blood work, I was diagnosed with Late-Stage Lyme Disease along with multiple tick-borne co-infections including Babesia & Bartonella, Heavy Metal Toxicity, Histamine intolerance  & CIRS. I did treatment at this clinic for 5 months with little to no improvements. It was then we felt it was best for our family to move back to ND to be close to family as I had started with a Lyme Literate physician in California and my treatment plan would be changing.  We were told that during treatment my ability to function would be dramatically impaired. I did 3 years of IV and oral antibiotic therapy and spent many days in bed.   Progress was made but it was very slow, and my once bright light started to dim. By late 2014,  with the help of a natural path doctor I was able to return to teaching part time. A glimmer of hope that my once healthy self would return.

Over the years I have gone back and forth between treatments with the stigma of ‘it’s all in your head’ following me. With diseases that are mostly autoimmune and not outwardly visible to the public, it makes it very hard to explain why I simply cannot do certain things.

Due to delays in diagnosis and inadequate treatment, this disease has progressed to Chronic Lyme, mold toxicity, CIRS and a host of other diagnosis. This has left me struggling with constant pain, overwhelming fatigue, and significant cognitive challenges. Simple daily activities have become monumental tasks and my ability to work and support myself has been severely impacted. In May I  made the heart wrenching decision to take a medical leave of absence from a career I love to focus on my health and healing.

The treatment for Chronic Lyme disease is complex and is often not covered by insurance. It involves a combination of antibiotics, specialized therapies, dietary adjustments and holistic approaches. These treatments are crucial to managing my symptoms and regaining some semblance of normalcy in life.

In addition to medical treatments there are expenses for travel to specialists, supplements, and lifestyle adjustments that are necessary to support my recovery. The financial burden has become overwhelming, and I am at a point where I cannot continue this fight alone.

I am currently in Nashville under  the care of a functional medicine doctor and neurologist. They are detoxing my body from high levels of mold. Because both Lyme and mold exposure involve a significant toxin burden on the body, we are addressing the mold first so that my body can better handle the additional stress of Lyme treatment. This treatment includes: Labs, Medication and Supplementation, Infusions for Detoxification, Ozone IV Therapy.

Click HERE to watch a video update.