Madeline Castellanos’ Lyme Hack:

Madeline Castellanos has some great Lyme tips for children! First – always heat healthy, which means avoiding dessert (she knows, it’s crazy!). Try to be dairy and gluten free. Second – always take a break if you need one, especially if you’re legs are hurting during Physical Education (PE). Third – always have somebody you can trust who you can talk to about how you’re feeling. It can be someone like your mom, sister, or friend.

Madeline is a 9-year-old actor, student and author from Los Angeles, California. After being dismissed by an urgent care doctor over an alarming rash, the formerly energetic Madeline began to nap frequently, fall asleep during car trips, suffer daily migraine headaches, and fall behind her classmates academically in school. Madeline’s primary care doctor ultimately diagnosed her with Lyme disease after she tested positive on a Western Blot test. Sadly, Madeline’s doctor acknowledged that he did not have the experience or training to adequately treat her disease, so he urged Alexandra “find a good doctor” for her daughter. Alexandra travelled to Connecticut where Madeline treated with the famous Dr Jones of New Haven Connecticut for “10 months nonstop” before she achieved symptom relief. Today, Alexandra helps Madeline to prevent symptom flare ups through diet, limiting direct sun exposure, and avoiding stressful situations. The Castellanos family’s Lyme journey taught the mother and daughter many powerful lessons that they wanted to share with other parents and children. Their first outreach project was to co-author a children’s book about a young child’s Lyme disease journey titled “Mylie’s Lyme Story.” If you would like to know more about how Lyme disease inspired a mother and child to share their journey through a child friendly medium, then tune in to episode 200 of our Tick Boot Camp Podcast!