STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Staten Island native Nicole O\u2019Donnell, 51, came down with flu-like symptoms one weekend in 2015. Instead of improving, her symptoms worsened, including numbness, tingling and severe fatigue. <\/p>\n
When her body failed to recover, O\u2019Donnell sought medical care. After blood work and a Western blot test, her doctor told her she had likely contracted Lyme disease, a complex bacterial infection, earlier without knowing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe [the doctor] was able to tell me that the reason why my body was not recovering was because at some point I had Lyme and I didn\u2019t know it, so it was untreated,\u201d O\u2019Donnell, a Pleasant Plains resident said. \u201cIt could lay dormant in your body, and then that priming event set it off.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Donnell recently released her first memoir, \u201cResilient Hope,\u201d on Jan. 11, sharing her life and journey with Lyme disease.<\/p>\n
![\"Resilient](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/X6RUPHML5NEJTEHZFVCJNTMOR4.jpeg\")
The cover of Nicole O’Donnell’s memoir “Resilient Hope” that explores the physical, emotional and financial complexities of long-term illness, including the journey of 12 others who also have chronic illness and face day to day challenges.Courtesy of Nicole O’Donnell<\/p>\n
The book draws not only on O\u2019Donnell\u2019s experience with Lyme disease, but also on the journeys of 12 others navigating the physical, emotional and financial complexities of long-term illness.<\/p>\n
Life-changing experience<\/p>\n
Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia bacteria and is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. Early detection can often lead to simpler treatment, but symptoms can persist or worsen when the disease goes untreated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you get bit by a tick, develop a bull\u2019s-eye rash and test positive early, that\u2019s kind of the best-case scenario,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re put on antibiotics for about two weeks, and usually it goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n
But that was not the case for O\u2019Donnell. <\/p>\n
After receiving her diagnosis, O\u2019Donnell realized her life would never be the same. However, she was determined to fight the debilitating disease. She was treated with antibiotics and was able to push through, even while experiencing recurring episodes of symptoms.<\/p>\n
Once adventurous and energetic, O\u2019Donnell became more anxious and fearful, constantly worried about tipping the balance of her health. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt completely changed me. It\u2019s like you are a different person,\u201d she said. Before her diagnosis, she had even gone skydiving for her 40th birthday; afterward, she found herself avoiding risks and focusing on protecting her body.<\/p>\n
Her husband, Tony, ran their business while she stayed home with their two children and remained involved in the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at their school. \u201cIt was more manageable in the sense that during that time, when I wasn\u2019t feeling good, I was able to just take a step back, slow down, and sleep when I had to sleep,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When COVID-19 hit <\/p>\n
In 2020, O\u2019Donnell contracted COVID-19, which sent her body into a \u201ctailspin,\u201d bringing symptoms unlike anything she had experienced before.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, I was bedridden \u2014 severe anxiety, heart palpitations, numbness, tingling, severe fatigue. That kind of put me in a place of feeling horrible because I couldn\u2019t do anything I was used to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The illness also affected her family life. O\u2019Donnell said she often felt like she could not be the mother or wife she wanted to be, held back by fatigue and other debilitating symptoms. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy house was just in, like, turmoil in a sense because I was just having all these crazy symptoms, and although they see me sick, it\u2019s like they don\u2019t know what to do either,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Due to her illness, O\u2019Donnell described how her body changed completely. She noted that it became like a \u201ctoxin bucket\u201d making her susceptible to other illnesses and infections. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens with Lyme is that it\u2019s never just Lyme. Other things come up like different infections, and then mold becomes an issue because your body is overflowing and just becomes sensitive to everything,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, things that normally wouldn\u2019t affect other family members in your household affect you.\u201d <\/p>\n