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Survivin
Lyme Diseas
A tick bite has changed Betsy Leib-Feldman's life.
KERI GUTEN
Special to The Jewish News
B
etsy Leib-Felclman's life was
altered forever by the bite of
a parasite no bigger than a
period on this page.
Like many of the estimated 1.5
million Americans bitten by ticks and
infected with Lyme disease (named for
Lyme, Connecticut, where the disease
was first discovered), Betsy was young,
active, proud of the physical condition
she worked hard to maintain. She was
caught off-guard by the onslaught of
aches and pains that signaled the
beginning of a long journey to diag-
nose Lyme disease and receive proper
treatment.
Though the disease affects individ-
uals uniquely, Betsy's story rings true
for others diagnosed beyond the early
stages of Lyme disease, beyond the
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1997
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time when oral antibiotics could ban-
ish the illness easily. For countless
patients, late-stage Lyme disease often
brings a life of uncertainty, isolation
and: pain — at least until the proper
treatment is found.
For Betsy, that search for the right
treatment continues under the care of
a physician — one of few in Michigan
— committed to treating chronic
Lyme patients. Still, every morning
brings uncertainty: Will the pain be so
severe that even getting out of bed is
unthinkable? Lately, intravenous
painkillers help make the pain more
manageable.
Lyme disease has literally con-
densed Betsy's world. Once a dedicat-
ed professional, fitness buff, cultural
devotee and active participant at
Young Israel of Southfield, Betsy now
spends most days at home alone, read-
ing a little and enjoying the company
of Roscoe, her energetic, soft-coated
Wheaten terrier.
Though she looks well on the out-
side, she says, at 38, her body is
"falling apart on the inside." But looks
can be deceiving. If she doesn't look
sick, what's all the fuss about? That's
part of the insidiousness of this dis-
ease, Betsy explains.
Definitely a fighter, Betsy says she
has faith her health will be restored.
Meanwhile, she's boning up on Lyme
disease so she can help herself and
others. Her quest for information has
led to experimental treatments, sup-
port groups, new friends and her cur-
rent doctor.
Throughout her ordeal, Betsy is
keeping journals detailing everything
from her wide-ranging symptoms to
thoughtless comments from callous
doctors. Sometimes she can't help
wondering about the chain of events
that led to Lyme.
Betsy never could have predicted
her life would take the tragic turn it
did. Things were going so well for her.
She met Joel Feldman, a Denver
native, through her personal ad in The
Jewish News. They married in 1990.
They share a love of culture and the
outdoors, a combination of interests
that, ironically, would get Betsy into
this predicament.
Professionally, Betsy was very
pleased with the new job she'd just
started as a social worker for a private
employee assistance program. "The
work was varied. I'd see people in all
occupations with all kinds of prob-
lems. It was challenging," she says.
And, in 1994, she and Joel decided
to start a family. "I was 35 and in the
prime of my life. I thought I was
more ready than ever before," she says.
That August, when she was about
three weeks pregnant, Betsy and Joel
left for a dream vacation in
Massachusetts. Joel attended a confer-
ence in Boston, then they escaped to
explore Cape Cod and to attend the
Tanglewood Music Festival in the
woods around Lenox, Mass. Betsy, a
Detroit native, comes from a musical
family. Her grandfather, Hershel, was
a violinist. Her father, Donald Leib,
played the clarinet and woodwinds at
the Fisher Theater. Her great-uncle,
Max Leib, is a violinist and, at age 87,
still is the musical director at the
Fisher Theater. Betsy chose the clar-
inet and has played in amateur
groups, such as the Schoolcraft Wind
Ensemble.
"Music has always been part of my
heart and soul," she says. I always
wanted to go to Tanglewood. We had
a fantastic time. Everything was per-
fect. I was so excited and scared about
being pregnant. It was our most mem-
orable vacation ever."