About

Jana is the author of The Battle Within: My Lyme Story. Her battle with Lyme disease inspired her to share her story, both as a means of catharsis as well as to spread awareness about this harrowing affliction. She is currently working with the non-profit New Now Foundation,  a supportive housing community project.

Jana graduated from the University of Montana with a B.A. in dance where she earned an Excellence Award in her field. 

She toured regionally during her three year stint with The Montana Transport Company, a modern repertoire dance company. Jana has authored an array of personal poems and essays and is currently working on a children’s book. She resides in Bigfork, Montana with her husband and their dogs Oliver and Bella, where she enjoys paddle boarding the many beautiful lakes and rivers of the Flathead Valley. The Battle Within is Jana’s first publication.

Thank you. I very much appreciate your words which touched me deeply. I feel a little bit less alone.
Sky
Jana, You express yourself in such a compelling way. I find myself totally wrapped up in what you are saying, and I do not suffer from Lyme Disease. You are a gifted writer!
Kathy
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and journey. Reading this in the early morning hours has reshaped my thinking . I have just been diagnosed with Chronic Lyme. I am relieved to finally have a diagnosis but anxious of all of what I don’t know. I have been chronic for over twelve years. So thank you for sharing. You have encouraged me.
Alison
Great overall view of Lyme and co-infections!! It’s hard to believe in this time that a disease that affects so many has very little support from the medical fields. Leaving patients on their own to not only find medical help but to be able to afford treatment which is mostly uncovered by insurance. It’s sad!
Mike
Absolutely BEATIFUL!!! Thank you for the reminder today! Keep stoking the FLAME!
Victoria
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United By Lyme Mission

I survived Lyme disease and I want you to know that you can survive it too!

While I’m not currently in the midst of my battle, it wasn’t that long ago that I was walking that same tightrope you’re currently teetering on. Or perhaps, you’re just about to start your treatment and you’re looking for a community of fellow Lyme sufferers. Maybe you’re the loved one of someone who is about to set out on this epic odyssey in search of wellness. First of all, let me say thank you for seeking me out! I’m happy you’re here. Finding a community while you navigate this disease is a great way to connect and stave off loneliness. Secondly, I will make this promise to you: I’m not going to sugar-coat things, and I never will on this blog, because that doesn’t serve anyone. I want to share my experiences in hopes that they make your experiences a little less scary. I hope to be a sounding board, a safe haven, a resource to help you through what may honestly be some of your darkest days.

What do you need to hear about?

But, I want to do more than just share my stories of those dark days. I want to hear from you. Lyme disease is different for everyone, depending upon what part(s) of the body is under attack. I’ll encourage you as we go to leave your comments and questions and I’ll do my best to answer them as someone who has been down a similar path. My diagnosis, like so many of yours, came years too late, following a life full of uncertainty, exhaustion, fear and loneliness. My entire world changed forever on June 20, 2017, when my Lyme literate doctor announced that I had a 100% CDC confirmed case of Lyme disease. At the time, I really knew very little about Lyme disease. As far as I knew it was like getting a really bad cold. And yet, when my doctor confirmed my diagnosis my heart sank with an intuitive fear about my future. It’s like my body knew instinctively that the road ahead of me would be replete with suffering. The prior ten to twenty years of my life had served as a harbinger of dis-ease.
Exhausted

The good news is, it will end.

You can be healthy again and reclaim your life. You’ll play again, hike again, dance again, stand and walk again. It’ll take perseverance, stamina and more patience than you imagined you could possess. You’re not alone though. There are others who have experienced what you’re going through…or worse. We’re a community, bonded together, for better or worse. I will do my best to be here for you by sharing my story, my battle with Lyme disease..