Candice Matthis and Debbie Nichol’s Lyme Hack:

Candice Matthis and Debbie Nichols share that living with a tick-borne illness can be really hard. You need a first responder, supporter, sounding board. Find yourself a support team, whether it’s a friend, or a neighbor, or a partner, or a spouse, or someone online who’s going through the same thing. Sharing the burden with someone who truly understands makes the journey a lot easier. If you’re surrounded by people who support you, then you can really release the worry and focus on finding the joy.

Debbie Nichols and Candice Matthis are the charismatic co-founders of Two Alpha Gals, an Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) health and wellness community. Ms. Nichols’ Alpha-Gal journey began when she realized that red meat consistently made her stomach hurt. Ms. Matthis’ journey began with GI issues that presented shortly after she discovered a tick attached to her toe. Their paths crossed and their relationship was born out of a realization that they shared similar dietary restrictions when meeting at a social gathering. As the relationship grew, they realized they were travelling on parallel medical journeys later resulting in a joint diagnosis of Alpha-Gal Syndrome. Together, they developed a support system that allowed them to improve their own lives, the lives of their families and the lives of people in the tick-borne disease community. If you would like to learn more about how the bond between two women from Virginia manifested into an advocacy, health, and wellness community, then tune in to episode 194 of our Tick Boot Camp Podcast!