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LA Edwards

MY LYME-MY VOICE: A Call For Guest Posts

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My Lyme - My Voice
My Lyme – My Voice

My LYME – MY VOICE 

‘MY LYME – MY VOICE’  has been created to increase public awareness of Lyme Disease by enabling members of the Lyme Community to have collectively our voices heard in an international forum. The aim of this forum, apart from helping those suffering, is to educate the public. Educate to the extent that eventually the medical community, government agencies, and legislators cannot ignore the desperate need for better testing, diagnosis, and treatment.  It is imperative they realize this is a health care crisis that should be addressed immediately. This is why our stories are so important and why I want to hear from you.

This forum is open for physicians as well (you may either choose to speak freely or as public as you wish as no one will see your name unless you want it printed). The public needs to be aware of what it is like to work with Lyme patients, what obstacles you have faced, and any insights you have about said issues and conflicts within the medical community that would affect treatment of patients with chronic Lyme and similar multi-systemic infectious diseases.

‘MY LYME – MY VOICE’ will represent a strong presence and platform to speak out about Lyme for “Lyme Awareness Month’ this coming May.

Submission Date: Now through May 15 — for participation in “Lyme Disease Awareness Month” campaign which begins May. Anyone can submit after May 15 as I will continue to accept your stories as an ongoing project MY LYME – MY VOICE shared within the Lyme Community, who need to read these stories, so they know they are not alone.

Eligibility and Topic of Discussion:

This is a call for guest blogs/articles from people whose lives have in some way been affected by Lyme disease:

  • Original material or material used before with the title changed to MY LYME – MY VOICE can be used with permission
  • If past material has been written and accepted as such, the Author must meet the intended scope of this submission and the content should be modified, if necessary to fit this scope herein, and you are not legally bound from doing so.
  •  Title Article –  MY LYME – MY VOICE.
  • Topics should pertain to Lyme disease, co-infections, and other tick-borne pathogens have affected your life or the lives around you.
  • Don’t be afraid to write and send your story. All of your stories must be heard by those in the general public to understand what a problem this is. My friend, says, “write what scares you.” Now is your time. We can make a difference and the more people who take part, the more empowered we can be.
  • Unless arrangements are made with me, your work should be originally written by the person who has Lyme disease and its co-infections or other tick-borne illnesses, those who have gone into remission, and people involved in the treatment and care of patients including but not limited to:
    • Physicians  and Healthcare professionals with patients past or present, including Allopathic: MD, DO, PA, Ph.D., RN, LPN;
    • Naturopathic and TCM: ND, LA.c, Ph.D., RN, LPN;
    • Holistic: Practitioners with proper credentials;
    • NOTE: For the above in the medical field, your perspectives on what it is like to who work with Lyme patients considering the extreme controversy, bias, and particularly what obstacles you discovered with the government if any.
    • Caregivers, Friends of someone with Lyme, and Attorneys with experience in Lyme-related cases, etc.
  • You should have at least one Social Media account: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, Tumblr, etc.
  • Include your Blog and Website address; if you don’t have a blog or Website, don’t panic. Submit your story; people need to hear it. 
  • Include a short bio and photo of yourself  (if you wish to write as anonymous you can omit photo) However, your bio should be included for legal purposes. Your bio can be revised not to name yourself if you prefer.
  • Please send in your work under the title ‘MY LYME – MY VOICE

Word Count and Format:

  • Word document using _Helvetica — 12 font
  • Title ‘MY LYME –  MY VOICE’, include references if warranted
  • Minimum of 1000 words and no longer than 2500 words
  • Save work as a .doc or .docx File.

Submit The Following Information:

  • Your article via email to Dr. LA Edwards (laedwardswriter@gmail.com)
  • Include in the subject line — #MyLymeMyVoice
  • Include in the email your full name, address, email address, your social media account information, along with your short bio.
  • Please spell check and grammar check or they will be returned!!!!
  • Color photo of the author to include with your story. For those submitting anonymously, I need some form of picture ID to keep in-house; I will not include your photo with your story. The same is true for those who only want their first name included, if specifically mentioned I will not have your photos shared with the public.
  • Any JPEG image file to be included in your post.
  • Photos do not have to be professional quality but must be a good quality image. In particular, make sure that scanned images have enough resolution to be read when enlarged on-screen. The longest dimension should be no more than 1200 pixels, or it takes up too much space. Please attach your article in your email along with your photo.
  • Please be sure to include how you wish to have your name shown as the Author of your article. Some may wish to be anonymous which is fine, but I still need to have your name included in your email for legal purposes. Options are to use your full name, first name, or if you are a doctor include your credentials and how you want them to appear.

Upon Receipt Of Your Article:

When I receive your Guest posts, I will add them to May’s calendar.

  • All articles will be edited and formatted specifically for WordPress for my blog, and titled ‘MY LYME – MY VOICE’ by (your name). This still means you must do the same prior to submitting. Edit your work and spell check.
  • My blog is linked to my website which has a heading called “MY LYME MY VOICE, where everyone’s blog posts will be.
  • I will send you an email indicating the day your article will go online.
  • Your articles will also be featured on #MondayBlogs a meme created by author and social media marketing/branding consultant, Rachel Thompson. Placement of your blog on #MondayBlogs will make sure that your voices are heard by both those in the Lyme Community, but also by millions of people on Twitter.
  • All guest blogs will be posted on #MondayBlogs each week so make sure you get yours in as soon as you can as they must go through the above process before airing on-line.
  • First posts will air beginning on 1 May 2016, and posted at various times throughout the entire month of May. The earlier your articles reach me, the more they will be seen.
  • My Social Media accounts all link together so your articles will also be seen on all of my various accounts, including my Author Facebook site, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Random posts will also occur on my personal website as well.
  • Your posts will stay on my website under the heading ‘MY LYME — MY VOICE’ where I  urge others to send me their article so I can post their stories and keep them here long after May Lyme Awareness Month. I urge you to connect with those you may find on this forum. Lyme can be a lonely place, but when you find even one person to connect to who understands you it is the most amazing feeling.
  • That said, I will keep a list of those with Lyme disease which you or new folks can contact via any of their social media accounts. It is my intent to expand the Lyme disease section of my site with a wealth of information to help others cope with the exhaustive issues associated with Lyme disease.

Inclusion in My Forthcoming Book:

In addition to the articles submitted for ‘MY LYME – MY VOICE,’ project for Lyme Awareness Month, a select number of your posts will be chosen by myself and my publisher for inclusion in my forthcoming book tentatively titled, ‘My Life With Lyme.’ Publication of my book will occur in early 2017. The date is dependent on my health, editor, and publisher’s schedule for a release date. I am a represented author, by Booktrope Publishing. I will contact everyone so they may know if their article has been chosen to be a part of my book.

The majority of my royalties will be placed in a trust fund to help Lyme disease patients who cannot afford to pay for treatment. Lyme disease is one of the most expensive diseases to treat, far exceeding the cost for the treatment of AIDS/HIV. Most insurance companies refuse to cover Lyme disease patients apart from very few states in the Eastern part of the US.

It is my goal to receive as many articles as possible so our voices will be heard from the West Coast to the East Coast, across the pond to Ireland and Great Britain, the entirety of Europe, and down to South Africa to Australia and New Zealand, and beyond. Please help me show the world we may ‘have a silent illness’ but we refuse to remain silent any longer. It is my intent with this campaign to help others by speaking out about Lyme disease.  Our stories will be our voice while others help by marching on the streets of our Nation’s Capitol and the various capitols around the country during Lyme Awareness Month this May 2016.

If you have any questions, please DM me on Facebook or shoot me a short message at my email address. Never send me a DM Twitter, I won’t read it.

Thanks so much for your time to read this exhaustive list, but know it is to make this project a success.

Sincerely,

Dr. L.A. Edwards, Ph.D.
Environmental Scientist/Toxicologist