Sharon Rainey, Author and Friend

Each day of May for Lyme Awareness Month in 2015, whatislyme.com would like to recognize someone in the Lyme community that has 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 honor Sharon Rainey.

Sharon is a support to so many. She has a very positive online presense and shows up to support many Lyme events. She has written a couple books to help those with Lyme disease and other tick borne infections. Sharon, along with her wonderful husband, Jeff, who we all know and love, supports the Holiday wishlist that is done on whatislyme.com every year too. She donates several of her books to Lyme patients on the list and her husband Jeff donates his honey he makes at home. Sharon also sends handwritten cards to random Lyme friends throughout the year! How sweet is that? She is also an animal lover and we enjoy her puppy stories everyday.

Sharon also runs, “My Neighbors Network.” You can see where she chronicals her journey through illness there.

Sharon wrote a book called, “Making a Pearl our of the Grit of Life.” This book is about the path through the early trauma of Lyme disease and how Sharon ended up with, “not the perfect” life, but with one she is very happy about.

Sharon is also working on a new book called, “Lyme Savvy,” which she is writing along with Dr. B. Robert Mozayeni. This book is about:

• Where we’ve been and where we are going
• Case studies
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Aspects of Healing

You can learn more about Sharon’s books or purchase them at: Pinctada Publishing.

Sharon has supported all “The Mayday Project’s” events. Her and her husband Jeff attend each protest and many years have had a “cook out” for all the Lyme patients that attended afterwards at their house.

 

Sharon’s Lyme Story

Part of Sharon’s story taken from: The Mosquito Squad blog:

“In June of 1981, Sharon was a bright and happy high school senior when viral meningitis attacked.  By October, she was sleeping 23 hours a day and had to drop out of college for a semester.  The doctors had no definitive diagnosis, but no one suspected a tick-borne disease.

For the following ten years, the disease remained relatively quiet, only surfacing through bizarre but seemingly unconnected symptoms: sun sensitivity, dental problems, recurrent sinus infections, and migraines. After the birth of her son, more painful and debilitating symptoms developed including joint pain, gallbladder problems, H.Pylori infection, hypothyroidism, elevated heart rate, daytime sleepiness, numbness in her hands and feet, occasional blurred vision, and vitamin deficiencies. “

Keep Reading Here

Written by Lisa Hilton

Tributes to Sharon from friends:

One of the reasons I chose to write about Sharon today, is she really has touched my life. I have always felt a connection to her kind spirit. Sharon is one of those people who never realizes that she HAS touched people’s lives. She has said things to me like, “I feel bad, like I’m the worse friend ever, I don’t ever reach out to anyone.” Seriously, nothing could be further from the truth. I think sometimes when you do have that virtue of wanting to help everyone, you think you haven’t done your part if you can’t help eveyrone. But surely Sharon has helped many and will continue to do so with her online support, showing up at Lyme awareness events and getting the truth about Lyme disease out through her books. I see Sharon going through some serious healthy issues right now and just wanted to let her know how loved she is.

~Lisa Hilton

If you would like to write a tribute to someone in the Lyme community that has made a difference to you Contact Us Here.

Let’s thank Sharon for all she does for the Lyme community!