Raising awareness is a proactive and productive dose of medicine. It can give us a real buzz, provide us with a sense of a purpose, and make a real difference at the same time. You don’t have to go to extreme lengths to raise awareness, simply sharing your story with a family member or taking leaflets to your local GP surgeries is all it can take to prevent someone else from contracting Lyme disease.
Never fear that your efforts aren’t enough – every conversation you have about Lyme disease, every leaflet you share, every time you talk about Lyme on social media… it all helps raise awareness. Whether you tell a neighbour about tick bite prevention or hold a community fundraiser to pay for treatment, every person you arm with knowledge is someone you have helped to protect. That makes you a hero!
We asked the LDUK community: What are your top 5 ways to raise awareness?
- Sharing Lyme info on my personal FB timeline
- Distributing #WakeUpToLyme awareness packs during the month of May and leaflets whenever possible
- Sharing Lyme info on LinkedIn
- Talking to people about the dangers of tick bites
- Wearing a green ribbon at events
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- Doing my best to get peoples stories heard in the media
- “Decorating” local GP surgeries and pharmacies with LDUK awareness material
- Talking on various media platforms and at events
- Making sure family and friend are very aware of how to protect themselves from tick bites
- …and that they know what to do if bitten.
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- Approaching councils to put Lyme Awareness posters in all parks to warn children and dog walkers of the dangers
- Distributing Lyme awareness leaflets in May and throughout summer
- Telling people my story and arranging campaigns at local supermarkets
- Asking local hospitals to produce their own awareness leaflets (our local hospital wouldn’t accept the one we gave them)
- Approach local MP to arrange a meet.
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- Openly telling my story, even though it was so incredibly hard and upsetting
- Running my blog in the hope that people can relate but also so they can understand me and what I go through because I don’t always openly talk about it when I am in front of them
- Working with my local MP to push Parliament
- Hosting fundraisers and sponsored walks
- Encouraging my local GPs to attend relevant conferences and events to learn more about the disease.
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We all have our own ways of contributing and bringing about change so just keep up the good work and remember what a difference you’re making!
Here are some ideas for raising awareness and funds:
- Host a movie night and charge a small fee for the tickets
- Purchase the LDUK Christmas cards and spread the festive cheer
- Run a sponsored event: walk, swim, run.
- Contact your local MP
- Leaflet drop in the vets, supermarkets, pubs, parks and GP clinics
- Educate your GP and encourage them to attend free events
- Host a party night and add a donation onto the tickets
- Have a car boot/jumble sale
The list is endless! No effort is ever too small, and it’s often the simplest things that work best. Just meeting with your MP or educating your doctor, could have a HUGE impact.
We aim to protect and save lives whilst driving change so future generations won’t suffer from this awful disease. Hopefully they will be extremely grateful for our work in the here and now.
I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who are helping to bring about change. You should take great pride in your work and the change you are fighting for because we are writing the history books and you should be proud to be a part of it.
Keep being warriors,
Sophie.