Friday July 8th

It was only 22 km to cycle from Pickering to Scarborough today.  At this point, I have cycled approximately 1,812 kilometers and have only about 14 kilometers to go before reaching Queen's Park.  Despite the agony of the last few weeks, I figure it is fitting that the Borrelia would return to invade the 6 plus months of Lyme disease freedom that I have enjoyed. 

 

Today along Kingston Road was rough on the bike and my body, yet I enjoyed ever second of it - something I have not been able to say for many days.  Knowing that I defied all odds and cycled from Queen's Park to Leamington to Sarnia, to Owen Sound, to Sudbury, to North Bay, to Ottawa, to Kingston, and back to Toronto today is something that I can marvel. 

 

What I found along the way is even more of a marvel.  Everywhere I went, I found people that were either directly effected by Lyme disease or who knew someone who was.  Yet, for well over a year now I have been repeatedly told by Ministry of Health and Long Term Care officials that Lyme disease is rare, isolated, and even non-existent in Canada.  That our healthcare system can continue to deny the wealth of knowledge that is out there and all those who suffer with the symptoms is completely irresponsible.

 

How it is that one person can ride a bicycle around a route that is less than 2,000 kilometers in length and find so many people with Lyme, yet in 2008, the Ministry of Health could have the audacity to claim that only 117 people contracted the disease?   

 

How many more Canadians have to be infected with Lyme and misdiagnosed before the outrageous mistakes that are being made today by our healthcare providers get corrected?

 

How many people have to die from Lyme before we care?