Few had heard of Lyme disease – a relatively rare tick-borne illness – until it burrowed its way on to the A-list. In 2016 Kris Kristofferson discovered that the memory loss he had been suffering in recent years was not due to Alzheimer’s but to Lyme disease. (In a recent memoir, Kelly Osbourne said that she had kept quiet about her Lyme disease because she feared it had become “the trendy disease to have right now”.) Where once Lyme produced little interest and less cash, it is now the focus of high-profile fundraising galas and celebrity news. The Global Lyme Alliance, an American non-profit organisation, has said A-list interest is “essential” for raising money.

Source: The Guardian August 25, 2017 18:11 UTC