Tick Boot Camp attended the Lyme Warrior 10th Anniversary Gala on May 9, 2026, at Saybrook Point Resort & Marina in Old Saybrook, Connecticut — a waterfront evening that brought together Lyme patients, advocates, researchers, clinicians, authors, families, and friends for a night of laughter, science, music, and hope.

Tick Boot Camp at the Lyme Warrior 10th Anniversary Gala in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

A Night Built Around Hope, Humor, and Community

Lyme disease events are often heavy because the illness itself is heavy. But Lyme Warrior designed this evening differently. Instead of a traditional formal gala filled with long speeches and dense slide decks, the night centered on connection, laughter, and celebration.

The message was clear: this community has fought hard, endured deeply, and earned a night to celebrate progress together.

Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026

Location: Saybrook Point Resort & Marina, Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Hosted By: Lyme Warrior

Theme: Community, research, advocacy, resilience, and hope

Watch the Lyme Warrior 10th Anniversary Gala Replay

The livestream was available to the public and is now available to watch on YouTube.

Full Lyme Warrior 10th Anniversary Gala livestream featuring Dr. Richard Horowitz, Dr. Eva Sapi, Dr. Monica Embers, Nicole Bell, Jesse Ruben, and members of the Lyme disease community.

Honoring Lyme Warrior Founder Lauren Lovejoy

The evening opened with heartfelt remarks from Sharon Ibanez, who helped lead the event on behalf of Lyme Warrior Founder and CEO Lauren Lovejoy. Sharon shared Lauren’s story and honored the mission that launched Lyme Warrior.

Lyme Warrior began after Lauren’s own experience of being dismissed, disbelieved, and forced to search for answers while battling Lyme disease. What began as a grassroots effort printing awareness shirts grew into a national Lyme disease support and advocacy organization known for patient care programs, community-building, awareness campaigns, and hope-centered outreach.

Although Lauren was not able to attend in person, her presence was felt throughout the room. The night served as a tribute to her vision: making sure Lyme patients and families never feel alone.

Dr. Myriah Hinchey Delivers a Powerful Keynote

Dr. Myriah Hinchey, founder of LymeBytes! Symposium and a respected naturopathic physician in the Lyme community, delivered the keynote address.

Her remarks reflected on how far the Lyme disease field has come over the past decade — from widespread dismissal of chronic symptoms to more sophisticated conversations about persistent infection, immune dysfunction, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial impairment, toxic burden, gut dysfunction, and personalized medicine.

Key themes from Dr. Hinchey’s keynote included:

Patients with Lyme and tick-borne illness are finally being heard more than they were 10 years ago.
Chronic illness is rarely one-dimensional and requires a whole-person approach.
Vector-borne disease should become part of every physician’s differential diagnosis.
Better diagnostics, better physician education, and broader access to care remain urgent priorities.
Healing is possible when patients receive validation, individualized care, and support.

Her message aligned deeply with Tick Boot Camp’s mission: Lyme patients deserve validation, community, and the belief that healing is possible.

Three Leading Lyme Voices Take the Stage

The evening featured three prominent voices in Lyme disease research, diagnostics, and advocacy: Dr. Eva Sapi, Dr. Monica Embers, and Nicole Bell.

Dr. Eva Sapi: Biofilms, Borrelia, and the Next Frontier of Research

Dr. Eva Sapi spoke about her pioneering research into Borrelia biofilms and the complexity of Lyme disease persistence.

She shared the story of how her Lyme disease research began after originally training as a cancer researcher. Her work helped push forward the conversation around Borrelia’s ability to form resistant structures and survive under difficult conditions.

Dr. Eva Sapi attended the event alongside her daughter, Michela Melillo, and her husband, Tony Sapi.

Dr. Monica Embers: Persistence, Diagnostics, Perinatal Lyme, and Bartonella

Dr. Monica Embers discussed her work studying persistent Lyme infection, treatment challenges, diagnostics, perinatal Lyme disease, and Bartonella.

Her comments offered hope that the science is continuing to move toward better answers for patients who remain chronically ill after standard treatment.

Nicole Bell: From Caregiver to Diagnostics Advocate

Nicole Bell, author and advocate, shared her personal story of losing her husband after a devastating journey involving Lyme disease, Bartonella, Babesia, and a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

She also discussed her work with Galaxy Diagnostics and the urgent need to move stronger diagnostic technologies from research settings into mainstr...

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