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The Lyme Disease Association of Iowa:

●    Is part of a Midwestern coalition of states called The Lyme Disease United Coalition.

●   Is an ALL VOLUNTEER organization. (501 (c) (3) corporation status pending.)

●      Advocates for Lyme disease patients in Iowa.

●    Educates health care providers and the public regarding Lyme disease.

●       Has a peer-reviewed Web site for doctors - www.iowalyme.org (created by co-director of Council Bluffs Chapter).

In 2004, the Lyme Disease Association of Iowa was united.  It has grown from one support group meeting site to eight throughout the state.  Since 2004, some of the many noteworthy accomplishments are as follows:

●      Iowans featured in the Tribeca film documentary, "Under Our Skin," a film about the tragedy of Lyme disease.

●      Lyme disease education of 2000 Boy Scouts at a Des Moines, Iowa Jamboree.

●      Lyme literature distributed to all public school children in Carroll, Iowa (several thousand children in grades K-12).

●   Procured a Proclamation from Governor Chet Culver protecting the care of Lyme patients in Iowa.

●      Distributed materials at a Public Health conference for all health-care workers in the state.

●     Brought an East coast doctor to Iowa to lecture to all Lyme patients and physicians in Iowa about Lyme disease.

●     Had Lyme patients interviewed, or published articles about Lyme disease in almost every newspaper in the state.

●     Provided educational materials to several thousand physicians who have requested peer-reviewed articles on Lyme disease.

●     Had a booth at the Sioux City Infectious Disease Conference in 2007,  allowing for the education of approximately 300 health-care workers.

●     Met with the Director of Public Health and Lt. Governor, Patty Judge (December 2007) to discuss the crisis in care of Lyme disease in Iowa.

●    Provided educational materials to several thousand children at a health fair at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Boone regarding Lyme disease.

●    Met with the Insurance Commissioner's representatives, Senator Harkin's representatives, as well as state legislative personnel to discuss plight of Lyme disease in Iowa (2004).

●  Yearly television and radio campaigns to teach hunters and hikers the need for tick safety in Iowa.

●    Lyme disease brochure printed in Braille for the entire nation.

●    Planted memorial tree with plaque at Little Wall Lake in Jewell, Iowa to commemorate the eight Iowans who have died as a result of Lyme disease.

●    Educational materials sent to 5000 employees of an Iowa corporation along with a speech on Lyme disease.

Judith Weeg and Melanie Barker founded the Lyme Disease Association of Iowa in 2004.  Melanie was a former lab technician in Ames.  Judith grew up in Iowa City, but following here university degrees, traveled to the East where she lived in NYC or Philadelphia for 20 years. Part of her career in the East entailed working for Centers for Disease Control creating health programs in the midst of the emergence of the AIDS crisis.  In later years, she created a business that spanned the East coast.  She was frequently on television or in the news with her business.

 Both Melanie and Judith were misdiagnosed by numerous Iowa doctors.  Judith went to 20-30 doctors in a span of two years, and during this time period went into late-stage and chronic Lyme disease.  The brain damage from this was so severe that even after diagnosis and treatment, it took six years for her to relearn to read and write.  Even today, she cannot play the piano - even though she studied it for eight years of her life! 

Melanie and Judith are prime examples of the strains of the Lyme bacteria throughout the world.  Melanie has the Midwestern strain, and Judith has the more virulent East coast strain.  Both have been severely affected by the illness, however.  Judith, today, is in a wheelchair, but has conquered approximately 85% of the brain-damage caused by Lyme disease.  Her recovery to date is due primarily to long-term Intravenous (IV) antibiotic care. Melanie is doing fairly well today, but has relapses.

The Lyme Disease Association of Iowa was founded with two firm goals:

    Goal #1

To advocate for the patient - to console; direct the patient to the correct patient care; to help fight insurance agencies or fight for the rights of disability; to inform it's population of the cutting edge studies on the treatments for Lyme disease.

Goal #2

To educate the public and health care workers regarding the latest studies in Lyme disease care.