The Last Letter Video Series

I like to think I’m a writer by nature. I like to think that’s why it’s easy for me to pour my heart out and be vulnerable in these written spaces. But when it comes to talking in front of an audience on the internet, well… Maybe not so much.

There’s a world of thought swirling around my head, and here, on this blank page, I can take my time and hunt for the right words and reflect upon these feelings until I understand them. There’s a comfort that comes from writing, but sharing this part of myself in any visible way is scary. I’m not used to it. I’m not ready for it.

I’m stalling.

There’s a small part of me that thinks that if I stall long enough—if I don’t write this blog post—then I can hide myself from the world a little while longer. But I don’t want to hide from the world. This illness has kept me inside for too long, and now I want to share my voice in a new way, a stronger way.

These past two years, my epistolary novel, The Last Letter, became an outlet for me to heal from the emotional turmoil of living with late-stage, Chronic Lyme Disease. It allowed me to share my story by welcoming just enough distance as was necessary for my own catharsis while still giving voice to everything I’d gone through—from the struggle to find a diagnosis to the complexities of recovery.

But then, when I relapsed last summer, it became something more.

This book became a way for me to express not just the physical pain that comes with this disease but the emotional toll that it can take—the loneliness, the isolation, the anger, the surrender.

The hope.

I had a story to tell, and this book helped me tell it; this video series has let me voice those words a little bit louder.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing excerpts of letters from the book that emphasize the psychological manifestations and emotional toll of living with Lyme Disease. It’s my greatest hope that I can lend my voice to the choir of Lyme patients who are struggling to be heard, standing with those who relentlessly fight for change and letting them know they're not alone.

It's my greatest hope that I can help make a difference, in even this small way.

The Last Letter Video Series aims to raise awareness for Lyme Disease. Videos can be found on the book page, on Facebook, or directly on YouTube. Updates will be made once a week until the book's release on September 20, so be sure to subscribe to catch the latest upload. A special thanks to Star Bunner of Star Films for the video production. More video miniseries to come, including Q&As, Beyond the Book, and All About Lyme.