Linda Lucke Love and Hope for Linda

What started in the Spring of 2016 as an eye inflammation and later spread to the entire body as searing pain, Linda Lucke has now been diagnosed with severe Lyme Disease. If you have heard of Lyme Disease but have not had the opportunity to research it or familiarize yourself with its more virulent forms, a chart has been added to the gallery of this site for your review. With the exception of a day or two per week when the symptoms are somewhat manageable, Linda experiences severe and debilitating pain that prevents her from some of the most basic daily tasks most of us in good health take for granted. A burning sensation that prevents her from eating most days has resulted in a weight loss of 70 pounds and Linda is continuing to loose weight. 

There is no cure for Lyme Disease. Almost all doctors are not willing to diagnose or treat the disease. Insurance companies refuse to approve the most effective intravenous medication for it (if it is diagnosed) since it costs in excess of $1,000 per day. Mayo Clinic refuses to accept requests by Lyme patients for consultation and treatment. As a result, Linda, with the assistance of her husband Jim, has had to travel to Minneapolis from her Wolverton, Minnesota home to seek expensive treatment assistance from one of the few qualified physicians willing to accept Lyme Disease patients. She has had to pay for the medical costs completely out of pocket. The most effective intravenous medication is not affordable for her and drugs that have been prescribed include one that is typically used to treat leprosy and aids patients with side effects that could result in death for some. So far, she has resisted taking that specific prescription in view of its risk.

This disease has robbed my sister of her cheerful and energetic nature. The disease has robbed Linda's family of her care and assistance. It has left pain that is so severe that it boggles the mind as to how to cope with it. Your prayers and support are sought here. Let Linda know she is not alone in this battle to return her to better health and to restore her confidence, her abilities and her quality of life in the days ahead.


- Larry Miller