I would travel across the US helping those in need...speaking at gatherings...changing the atmosphere that enthralls us today.

That would be my gist to you.

To my family I would give them there father and husband back.

Trout

I to have such a dream,a part of every day.
Much like yours, and people stop living the
pain and sufering like so many of you and my
wife.

Maby someday we will meet you and I.

A sparkle in your eye, a smile on your face
when looking across the water.

LYMENET MUST HEAL, good day.

But I hope you win the lottery anyway.

This is what I would do:

The first 500,000 dollars would go to my parents. It's the least I can do to thank them.

I would then open a trust fund for the education of my younger sisters $100,000 to each of them.

With the next five million, I would open up an office in Mexico to coordinate the following: Flying medical experts in from all over the world, so they can teach Latin American doctors the latest on treatments on several diseases. (Lyme disease, Parkinsons, MS, etc). Together with this, I would set up a scholarship for third world country students to study medical school in either the US, Western Europe or Israel - with the condition that they'd return to practice medicine in their home country.

I would also pay in full the creation of a website explaining the basics of Lyme in the 10 most spoken languages of the world -in order to be able to reach out to more people.

Next five to ten million dollars would be invested in real estate - in order to diversify assests and continue to have an income through the years.

At least $250,000 dollars would be sent to the church I grew up in, to pay for mission trips for young people.

And another $250,000 dollars would be sent to the military academy in Indiana that I spent so many wonderful summers at. Where young minds are shaped to become the leaders of the future.

With another million, I would probably buy and decorate a house for myself in Washington D.C.

I would then invest $100,000 dollars to go to graduate school.

And after all that I'd open a publishing company.

I have come to the conclusion that I don't need more than $40 million dollars. Anything more than that, would be plain greedy.

In the meantime, I'll be more than happy if I'm able to make my monthly car payments and keep healthy!

I'd supervise this center from my little castle in Burgundy, France.

I live in an area with its share of wealthy, and they seem to be teflon coated for tick diseases. But I think many people DO get lucky enough to get early treatment.

I have one good story on that very account.
It took me 8yrs to find out I had lyme.
Typical story for lymenet, but crazy in my neighborhood.

Towards the last few years, as I got much worse, I consented to work with the psychiatrist who had been recommended to me over and over (since there was nothing wrong with me.)

During the time I worked with him, he got acute lyme disease (rash,fever...the whole shebang) He got treated right away, and recovered, no relapse since. At the time, he said to me....

And then there is misdiagnosis. My thoughts go to a young man in our heavily tick infested area, who suddenly got sick in his early 20s. He was diagnosed with MS.

Since discovering I had lyme, my husband called the mother of the young man to share his experience with me and that many who had MS actually had lyme, and that maybe testing through a good lyme lab might belpful.

She was not responsive, and I believe hurt or indignant by the call. My husband felt terrible that he'd hurt her in any way, saying he was just hoping he'd help.

I am going to give it a try now.

If I won the lottery, I would pay back those who have helped me.

Pay the medical bills owed.

Use the funds to get well.

Get a dog.

Get a vehicle and camper and travel in the tic mobile spreading the word at campgrounds and in schools.

It would be more fun if I had a co teacher with me.

But one has to think of Amy Tan, for example. Not that she's THAT rich or powerful, but she too spent years and much money getting to her diagnosis. Maybe not as long as some of us tho....

I'll be your co teacher....and we can bring lime slime to treat all the ducks on the way!

I've been tempted to paint my car lime green, and then paint a big tick on the side.

The lyme reality tour!

It took me 17 years to get diagnosed. That included going to the ER and a dermatologist with a bulls eye rash at age 12, and to a heck of a lot of doctors throughout high school.

As far as the lottery, I would give a heck of a lot of it to organizations and campaigns working to get people elected to office (from state legislators to the White House) who would make sure we continue to fund R&D around lyme and many other illnesses, and people that would work towards finding a way to get every American covered by a good health insurance system.

And then get really lucky.