One night after the Lyme community gathered casually at Hard Rock Cafe Times Square for GLA First Round, the setting changed — but the mission remained the same.
On October 5, 2026, Global Lyme Alliance (GLA) welcomed patients, advocates, researchers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, celebrities, families, and supporters to The Metropolitan Club in New York City for the 2026 Global Lyme Alliance Gala.
The black-tie evening centered on a message visible throughout the historic venue: hope starts here — and a Lyme-free world is within reach when research, patient support, awareness, advocacy, and community move forward together.
For Tick Boot Camp co-founders Matt Sabatello and Rich Johannesen, the Gala was another opportunity to spend time with people from across the Lyme and tick-borne disease community — including former podcast guests, researchers, advocates, nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, and friends whose work continues long after the evening ends.
2026 Global Lyme Alliance Gala at a Glance
The 2026 GLA Gala took place Monday, October 5, at The Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. Cocktails began at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the evening program at 7:30 p.m.
Erich Bergen, known for Madam Secretary and Jersey Boys, hosted the evening, while Rosanna Scotto of Good Day New York served as honorary chairwoman.
FOX 5 New York reported the following morning that the Gala raised upwards of $1.3 million to support Lyme and tick-borne disease research, education, and patient programs.
The annual event supports Global Lyme Alliance and its mission to cure Lyme and other tick-borne diseases through innovative research, awareness, and empowering the patient voice.
GLA reports that more than $27 million has been awarded to its mission and research, with more than 75 research grants funded and more than 190 peer-reviewed publications connected to that work.
The Metropolitan Club Creates a Dramatic Setting for Lyme Advocacy
The Metropolitan Club provided a striking backdrop for an evening focused on science, patient stories, philanthropy, and hope.
From ornate ceilings and historic architectural details to formal dining rooms prepared for hundreds of supporters, the venue created a setting that matched the scale of GLA’s mission.
Yet throughout the elegant surroundings, the focus repeatedly returned to the patients and families whose lives are affected by Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
Jennifer Katritos Leads Global Lyme Alliance Into Its Next Chapter
Jennifer W. Katritos, Chief Executive Officer of Global Lyme Alliance, took the stage during an important year for the organization.
Katritos was appointed CEO in April 2026 after seven years with GLA, including service as Chief Operating Officer. Her leadership comes as the organization continues investing in Lyme and tick-borne disease research, education, awareness, and patient programs.
The Gala brought that work into one room, connecting the fundraising required to advance research with the patients, families, clinicians, advocates, and supporters waiting for better answers.
Patient Stories Keep the Mission Personal
Fundraising totals and research milestones matter, but some of the most powerful moments of a Lyme disease event happen when the focus shifts from numbers to people.
Host Erich Bergen helped guide the audience through the evening’s stories, including the experiences of people whose lives have been changed by Lyme disease.
Those stories are essential because Lyme and tick-borne diseases are not abstract public-health issues. Behind every research grant, doctor referral, educational campaign, and patient-support program is someone trying to get back to school, work, family, relationships, and the life illness interrupted.
Christopher Meloni Supports Global Lyme Alliance
Actor and longtime GLA Celebrity Ambassador Christopher Meloni was among the recognizable supporters participating in the evening.
Meloni also supported the live auction with a VIP set visit and private meet-and-greet experience, helping turn celebrity participation into direct financial support for GLA’s mission.
Kelley Higney Honored for Community Impact
One of the evening’s honorees was Kelley Higney, founder and CEO of Bug Bite Thing.
Higney first became widely known after appearing on Shark Tank with her mother and receiving Lori Greiner’s Golden Ticket. Since then, Bug Bite Thing has expanded beyond its original suction tool to include products focused on tick removal and tick testing.
GLA honored Higney with its Community Impact Award, recognizing her work around education, prevention, and supporting families affected by Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
Lori Greiner Presents the Community Impact Award
Shark Tank star and entrepreneur Lori Greiner took the stage to present Kelley Higney with the Community Impact Award.
The connection brought Higney’s entrepreneurial journey full circle: the investor who helped elevate Bug Bite Thing on national television was now standing beside her as the Lyme community recognized her growing work around tick awareness, prevention, and community impact.
Greiner also contributed tickets to a live taping of Shark Tank to the evening’s auction, paired with a hotel stay, helping raise additional funds for GLA.
Lyme Advocates, Friends, and Supporters Come Together
The Gala created opportunities for people from across the Lyme disease ecosystem to reconnect — patients, advocates, nonprofit leaders, researchers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and supporters who have crossed paths through years of advocacy and community work.
Tick Boot Camp’s work is rooted in bringing together the different pieces of that community and helping important conversations move between patients, doctors, researchers, advocates, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and people with platforms capable of introducing Lyme disease to new audiences.
Christina Maxwell Brings Music and Her Lyme Story to the Stage
Singer, speaker, and Global Lyme Alliance ambassador Christina Maxwell brought another dimension to the evening through music and lived experience.
Maxwell was both a speaker and performer at the 2026 Gala, continuing her work of using her voice and platform to support the Lyme community.
Music can reach people differently than statistics or presentations, and moments like Maxwell’s performance help create an emotional bridge between the mission on stage and the patients and families living it every day.
Former Tick Boot Camp Podcast Guests Reunite at the GLA Gala
For Tick Boot Camp, one of the most meaningful parts of attending Lyme disease events is reconnecting in person with people whose stories have previously been shared through the podcast.
Kristen Harris has shared her story of Lyme disease, relapse, recovery, and post-traumatic growth on the Tick Boot Camp Podcast. Today, her work with Global Lyme Alliance allows her to help other patients find education and support.
Researcher Monica Cipriani has also worked closely with Tick Boot Camp, including joining the team for a Long Island tick-dragging field project and in-person interview focused on tick surveillance, Lyme disease, invasive ticks, and public education. Read more about Tick Boot Camp’s Long Island field work with Monica Cipriani.
Sophia Denison is another former Tick Boot Camp Podcast guest whose Lyme journey evolved into advocacy. After years of illness and delayed diagnosis, Sophia has used her recovery and experience to help educate and empower others.
These relationships are one reason Tick Boot Camp continues attending in-person Lyme events. A podcast conversation may begin online or in the studio, but the community that grows from those conversations extends far beyond an episode.
Kenzie Vath and the Power of Turning Illness Into Advocacy
Kenzie Vath, a former Tick Boot Camp Podcast guest and Global Lyme Alliance board member, was also part of the evening.
Kenzie has shared her own Lyme disease journey, treatment experiences, advocacy work, and the lessons that ultimately helped turn a difficult health experience into a platform for helping others.
Kenzie is also the author of The Ignored Pandemic: Real Stories of Lyme Disease and has used storytelling to elevate patient voices and increase awareness about what living with Lyme can look like.
Connections between organizations such as Global Lyme Alliance, Center for Lyme Action, Tick Boot Camp, and other advocacy groups help strengthen a movement that requires progress in science, policy, education, prevention, and patient support at the same time.
Healthcare, Research, and Patient Support in the Same Room
The Gala also brought together members of the healthcare and research communities whose work intersects directly with patients.
Dr. Ecaterina Komarnitsky joined Cara Salzone, RN, and Matt Sabatello during the evening. Cara is a nurse for Dr. Jeffrey Morrison at The Morrison Center, a New York City Lyme clinic that works with patients navigating Lyme disease and other complex chronic illnesses.
Cara had also joined Tick Boot Camp the previous evening at GLA First Round, where she spoke about the importance of support, community, and helping patients connect with resources when there is no single “magic pill” for every Lyme journey.
Having physicians, nurses, researchers, advocates, and patients together allows conversations to move beyond professional silos and back toward the people everyone is ultimately trying to help.
Community Is Built Between the Formal Program Moments
Some of the most important conversations at a Gala happen away from the stage.
They happen during cocktails, between courses, after introductions, and when people who have known each other through podcasts, advocacy work, nonprofit programs, or social media finally have time to talk face-to-face.
For a patient community that can experience significant isolation, these relationships matter. They create opportunities to share information, exchange resources, validate experiences, and sometimes develop collaborations that continue long after everyone leaves the ballroom.
A Lyme-Free World Within Reach
One of the most memorable messages displayed at the Gala was simple: “A Lyme-Free World Within Reach.”
For people who have spent years living with Lyme disease, watching someone they love struggle, searching for knowledgeable medical care, or trying to advance research and awareness, those words carry weight.
They represent a goal that will require better diagnostics, better treatments, continued research, stronger prevention, more knowledgeable healthcare professionals, and patient voices remaining at the center of the conversation.
The Gala Connects Research Funding With Real People
Global Lyme Alliance’s fundraising events are not simply social gatherings. The money raised helps support a broader infrastructure of research, education, awareness, and patient services.
GLA says its Find a Lyme Specialist program alone connected more than 4,600 patients with experienced clinicians in 2025. Its research portfolio continues to support scientists investigating diagnostics, persistent symptoms, pediatric Lyme disease, treatment, and other major unanswered questions.
That connection between fundraising and outcomes is important. Every dollar raised represents the potential to fund another scientific question, help another patient find a knowledgeable provider, educate another family, or bring the Lyme community closer to better answers.
From GLA First Round to the 2026 Global Lyme Alliance Gala
The Gala completed a two-night experience that showed two different sides of the same community.
The night before, GLA First Round at Hard Rock Cafe Times Square created an intentionally casual environment where patients, advocates, NextGen Junior Board members, healthcare professionals, and supporters could simply meet and connect.
The Gala then brought the community into a formal setting focused on fundraising, research, recognition, patient stories, and the scale of the work still ahead.
Together, the two nights demonstrated something Tick Boot Camp sees repeatedly across the Lyme community: progress requires both institutions and relationships.
Research needs funding.
Patients need support.
Doctors and researchers need opportunities to exchange knowledge.
Advocates need platforms.
Organizations need collaboration.
And people living with Lyme disease need to know that they are not navigating this alone.
Why Events Like the Global Lyme Alliance Gala Matter
It would be easy to look at a Gala through the lens of celebrity guests, formal attire, historic architecture, or fundraising totals.
Those things help draw attention and generate resources, but they are not the reason the work matters.
The reason is the patient who still does not have an answer.
The parent searching for help for a child.
The person who has spent years being told that unexplained symptoms are not real.
The physician trying to better understand a complex illness.
The researcher working on the next diagnostic tool or treatment approach.
The advocate turning a difficult personal experience into something that might make the path easier for the next person.
And the community continuing to insist that better answers are possible.
Tick Boot Camp’s Mission: Education, Validation, Community, and Hope
For Tick Boot Camp, attending the 2026 Global Lyme Alliance Gala was not simply about documenting an event. It was about continuing to build relationships with the people working across the Lyme and tick-borne disease space and bringing those conversations back to patients everywhere.
Our mission remains centered on helping people liberate themselves and others from Lyme disease through validation, community, belief that healing is possible, and modeling success.
That means listening to patients. Interviewing doctors and researchers. Highlighting nonprofit organizations. Sharing new ideas. Asking difficult questions. Celebrating progress. And creating opportunities for people who may feel isolated by chronic illness to see that a much larger community exists around them.
The 2026 Global Lyme Alliance Gala was another reminder that while the Lyme community still has significant work ahead, it also has researchers, advocates, clinicians, organizations, entrepreneurs, families, and supporters willing to do that work together.
Hope starts here — but it does not end here.
Continue Exploring the Lyme Disease Community
Learn more about the people, research, treatments, and advocacy shaping the Lyme disease community through the Tick Boot Camp Podcast.
Explore interviews with doctors treating Lyme and tick-borne disease, conversations with Lyme disease researchers, and additional stories and educational resources on the Tick Boot Camp Blog.
If you are new to Lyme disease or recently experienced a tick bite, start with the Tick Boot Camp Tick Bite Blueprint.
