Whatislyme.com would like to recognize people in the Lyme community that have done something to try to help the Lyme community. There are several “unsung heroes” in our community and we would like to just offer them a little recognition and make sure that their achievements and efforts don’t go unnoticed.
Today we would like to recognize Jim Berger.
From Lisa Hilton: “I met Jim at a Lyme support meeting in Ingleside, Illinois. He was attending the meeting to talk about a rife machine he was developing. He was there to help Lyme patients with a machine he had made to help his sister who had cancer. He had met someone with Lyme disease and he thought he could help our community through the use of rife.
While Jim was at these meetings, he was slowly figuring out that the symptoms he was having over the years, was possible Lyme too. After a positive test, he was not just helping the Lyme community, he was part of it now.
Since then Jim has been a big part of Lyme Support Network, an Illinois Non Profit that runs support groups and helps to educate doctors about Lyme Disease. He has helped with the meetings, the Lyme walks they do annually and he has put together two Worldwide Lyme Protests in Chicago and is currently working on the third one.”
See the bottom of this article to see the events Jim is planning now.
Here are some of Jim’s pictures from the events he has been a part of.
The First Mayday Protest 2011

Jim Marching in front of the White House at the first Mayday Protest
The Boston IDSA Lyme Guidelines Protest 2011






Here is Jim’s Bio in his own Words…
Hello, my name is Jim Berger. I have been employed as a Medical Device Engineer at major healthcare companies since 1979, first in Orange County, California and then in Lake County, Illinois. In my professional career I have worked on the following products: Cardiac Output Computers, Holter EKG Monitoring Recorders and Playback Equipment, Ophthalmic Laser Systems, Plasmapheresis and Plateletpheresis equipment, Medication Delivery Infusion Pump Automated Test systems, and Renal Peritoneal Dialysis equipment. I have held positions in Engineering Design, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality & Reliability Engineering, Field Service support, and Systems Engineering. Since 1985 in my spare time, I have also studied different modalities of energy medicine such as Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch, Eden Energy Medicine, Intuitive Shiatsu, Native American shamanism and Hawaiian shamanism.
I had been an amateur runner, cycler and triathlete in Southern California; however, after moving to Antioch, IL, on the Illinois/Wisconsin border in the early 1990s, I started having severe pain and cramps in my joints and temporary partial paralysis of my legs, feet and arms, hands, cramps in the abdomen and chest, temporary blindness, as well as, numerous mental issues. In late summer 2007, I had an insect bite that looked like a brown recluse spider bite that resulted in necrosis of the skin and a hospital stay of almost a week. Over the next few years I ended up having a couple heart attacks, severe breathing issues, pancreatitis and then gall bladder (overfilled with stones) removal. Doctors put off my severe breathing issues as chronic bronchitis and told me to get rid of my cats. Finally after hearing about lyme disease, I ended up going to a chiropractor and naturopath, who ran the Igenix tests for Lyme disease which came back positive, as well as, further tests that came back with high levels of mycoplasma pneumonia and chlamydia pneumonia.
Everything began to make sense, I had indoor outdoor cats, one who lived 23 and ½ years with me. She was a great huntress, bringing mice, moles, and birds she killed up to my bedroom at night. It is now obvious that the red blood spots I would occasionally see on my sheets were from engorged ticks that were crushed by my body while sleeping. If If had ended up with a bull’s-eye rash where I could have seen it, I would have probably ignored it not knowing it would indicate Lyme disease. I did not even know what Lyme disease was at that time. Then, after learning about it, I found out that tick bites could present a wound, looking similar to a brown recluse spider bite. Finally, about six months ago, I had a stroke, resulting in partial blindness and memory loss. I am 64 years old now and was to be laid off from my engineering job at the end of last year, but was put onto full disability last October due to the stroke. Since the stroke, it takes me about four times as long to accomplish any type of mental task.
To digress a bit, over ten years ago I started researching Rife technology, when my sister-in-law, Kathy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. That story can be found on my website at www.bestsolu.com. After finding out about lyme disease, I read Brian Rosner’s book on Lyme Disease and Rife Machines. I purchased one and built two Doug Coil Machines and read what I could about other experimental Rife and Lakhovsky type machines being used for treatment of different types of pathogen based disease. Over a three month period of time over two years ago, I used my 1958 vacuum tube replica Rife Machine and pathogen frequencies from the cpsBioResearch website at www.dnafrequencies.com, treating myself for Borellia, Babesia, Bartonella, Mycoplasma and Chlamydia. After so many years of sickness, I started feeling normal again and decided to stop experimenting on myself until I could find a way to verify and validate the results. I stopped treating myself and over the past two years began my studies in biology, microbiology, anatomy & physiology, darkfield & phase contrast microscopy. However, along with my normal engineering job, and the return of my lyme and co-infection symptoms my body and mind broke down resulting in partial blindness and memory loss.
I have joined the Worldwide Lyme Awareness Rally to stand up to the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), against their campaign of misinformation about Lyme disease, and against their position that after a couple weeks of antibiotics Lyme disease is cured. In Chicago during the Worldwide Lyme Awareness Rally, May 10 and 11, I would like to raise awareness of our Lyme community’s plight to get proper treatment by targeting primarily the Chicago Tribune for supporting the IDSA view and completely ignoring the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS) view that Chronic Lyme Disease does exist, and that it has reached epidemic levels around the world. We will not be ignored any longer. Chicago Tribune, at least fairly present both views.
Your friend, Jim
Here are Jim’s pictures from the Worldwide Lyme Rally in Chicago.
2013


See More Pictures from the Worldwide Lyme Rally 2013 in Chicago Here.
2014
See more pictures of the 2014 Worldwide Chicago Lyme Rally Here.
Demonstration Jim is planning now
2015 Pediatric Infectious Diseases Conference
2015 PREP®:ID – A Comprehensive Review and Update of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Activity Format: Live Event Starts: 8/17/2015Expires: 8/22/2015 http://pedialink.aap.org/visitor/cme/cme-detail?guid=ef867963-605c-4e42-9f61-61edad98f40f&pageId=a6c320a4-8fa9-4fe0-985e-9f5b6c58e267,a6c320a4-8fa9-4fe0-985e-9f5b6c58e267
Most Important Protest (?) or Support (?) Demonstration times:
Outline of event
Pediatric Infectious Disease Conference – Aug 17 – 22, 2015
June 3, 2015 LSN Meeting – share this outline – 15 minutes
* Start list of people with email addresses interested in taking part in the Chicago Demonstration, and I can send periodic updates before Public Assembly days
* Are enough and right type of handouts available for Demonstration?
* Registered Mail in Applications for Street Assembly – No fee for Public Assembly
Week of June 12 – 19
* Dave and Jim recon of the Public Assembly Site :
Chicago Swissotel
323 E Upper Wacker Dr
Chicago, IL 60601
* Pictures of the public assembly site
* Location of Restrooms
* Identify other fun things going on in Chicago the days of demonstration
July 1, 2015 LSN Meeting – Dave & Jim share what found on recon trip, more detailed information of the speakers at Pediatric Infectious Disease Conference – 15 to 30 minutes
July 18, 2015 – Jim start contacting Chicago Department of Transportation on weekly basis until we get confirmation whether public assembly has been approved.
August 5, 2015 LSN Meeting – Dave, Jim and Demonstration Team at a minimum do last detailed planning for the Demonstration
Demonstration Days
* Tues, Aug 18, 2015 4:00PM – 7:30PM
Zoonoses & Vectobourne Infections
Steven C. Buckingham, MD MA
* Fri, Aug 21, 2015 6:30AM – 1:30PM
Joint & Bone Infections
Angela L. Meyers, MD, MPH, FAAP
Tues, Aug 18, 2015 4:00PM – 7:30PM
4:30-4:50PM Break/Visit the Exhibits
4:50-5:20PM Zoonoses Steven C. Buckingham, MD, MA
5:20–5:50PM Vectorborne Infections Steven C. Buckingham, MD, MA
5:50-6:00PM Vectorborne Infections Case Vignettes Steven C. Buckingham, MD, MA
6:40PM Adjourn for the Day
Fri, Aug 21, 2015 6:30AM – 1:30PM
8:00AM Conference start for the day
9:05-9:35AM Bone and Joint Infections Angela L. Myers, MD, MPH, FAAP
9:35-9:45AM Bone and Joint Infections Case Vignettes Angela L. Myers, MD, MPH, FAAP
9:45-10:05AM Break/Visit the Exhibits
11:50AM-1:30PM Lunch on Your Own
Please everyone keep Jim in your prayers as he struggles with Lyme disease and cancer.
Sadly, my cousin Jim passed away in June. He was dedicated not only to Lyme Disease research, but also to pancreatic cancer, the devil that finally took him, as a result of agent orange exposure during his service in Viet Nam.
He is sorely missed.
Hi Pamela, I am so sorry for your loss. Jim was a great guy. We spent lots of time together. He helped me a lot and we did some travelling together. We did make a memorial page for Him too. <3 If there is anything you'd like us to add just let us know. <3 Again, so sorry for your loss. http://whatislyme.com/jim-berger-rest-in-peace-6182017/
Lisa
I live here in Round lake Illinois and I hope that you can refer me to a llmd doctor who does except Medicare and Medicaid. I have had to test for Lyme and both came back positive. And the infectious diseases doctor said today that it is all in my head the source of pain and weakness. Spent the day crying and I really would like you to call my husband Bob who handles all my medical condition his phone number is 1 847 553 5285 and help me get the real treatment that I need to feel better.
Thank you for your time and information
Ruth Ruggles
Home phone number is 1 224 338 0872 Please leave a message because I sometimes can’t get to the phone right away.
jim,
best wishes with your lyme/cancer plus enormous THANK YOU for all the lyme activism events you have planned AND ATTENDED creating hardships for your body physically and mentally.
i so enjoyed the videos, photos, and your personal story.
best wishes, hugs/prayers always,
bettyg, iowa activist
46.5 yrs. chronic lyme
35 yrs. MISDIAGNOSED by 40-50 drs.
UNACCEPTABLE