Fairfax woman launches new nonprofit to support Iowans with Lyme disease

FAIRFAX — A 5K race inaugurated last year to raise awareness of Lyme disease is returning to support a new nonprofit started to support the unique needs of Iowans living with the illness.

The Ticked Off Lyme Foundation, launched earlier this year by founder Tina Rosekrans of Fairfax, will host one of its first fundraisers on June 1, right after Lyme Disease Awareness Month concludes in May.

The 5K race, with an alternate 1K route, hopes to raise more funds to directly help those with the condition in Iowa, while raising awareness among those without it.

“People have told me that they’re finally being seen,” Rosekrans said, reflecting on the work that led her to start the new foundation. “Now, I can take care of people in Iowa who need help with treatment.”

Rosekrans, who got involved in recognizing Lyme disease after a friend and her child were diagnosed, organized the 5K last year that raised $9,500 for Lyme Warrior, a Virginia-based nonprofit.

She and others started organizing local support groups, too.

But, “this wasn’t enough,” she decided.

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This year, money raised in Fairfax will stay with the local nonprofit, to help Iowans through grants for medical care, which is often not covered by insurance, especially for those who have trouble getting a proper diagnosis.

Rosekrans said the fledgling organization, which appears to be the first dedicated to supporting those with Lyme disease in Iowa, hopes to have 100 people in this year’s race.

“For me, it’s all about bringing awareness so that people understand this,” she said. “It’s to bring awareness that Lyme disease is a thing. People can go years before their doctor finally figures out what they have.”

For Mindy Liebe of Walker, it took years to finally connect the ailments she’d experienced throughout her life because of Lyme disease. Although physicians suspected she had the condition as a young child in the ’80s, it wasn’t until 2017 that she looked for a doctor that could help make sense of it all.

“Throughout my life, I had lots of different ailments, just things that would pop up and set you back,” Liebe said. “I never knew what to do, other than take care of it and move on.”

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As an adult, she endured flare-ups that seemed more severe than common illnesses; surgeries; two miscarriages and a stillbirth. Her daughter, now 18, inherited the condition in utero.

In 2017, a common cold got so bad that she started losing vision and feeling in her face. Occasionally, she also experienced brain fog, which interfered with her ability to work.

“It was like a yo-yo,” she said.

Through lifestyle changes and immune system boosts, her Lyme disease has entered dormancy. Colds can cause flare-ups, but she lives a normal life with a manageable condition.

Now, she hopes to give others the same hope — not only with emotional support, but with financial support to bolster what can be a debilitating condition that interferes with work.

“With the foundation, our hope is to get people to the point I’m at, to advocate and help others get through the emotions,” said Liebe, 43. “The biggest thing is awareness — to give them awareness in a positive light.”

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.