How Jet Pilot Nicole Malachowski Grew Through Lyme Disease Adversity

When I wrote "Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survive Need to Know," I had no idea how challenging it was to maintain a career with tick-borne illnesses.
Order the book at www.amazon.com/Love-Hope-Lyme....
If you're a chronic Lyme survivor, the e-book is always free. Reach out to me on Facebook or LinkedIn.
I launched the Love, Hope, Lyme Podcast to help family members understand what a loved one was going through.
The latest episode features Air Force jet pilot Nicole Malachowski.
Imagine being one of only 75 women jet pilots in the Air Force and a true American hero, only to have your career and entire identity taken away because of a tick bite. If you’re reading this article, and your career trajectory went askew because of tick-borne illnesses, you can relate.
She spoke about how she was able to turn the tables and grow from this experience creating a new career as a global speaker and consultant who inspires thousands to rethink the challenges that they face every day.
She said that everything that she needed to be a good fighter pilot, such as discipline, focus, commitment, determination, and confidence are the traits and the characteristics she needed to survive the worst depths of her illness and to thrive today, even though she still lives with chronic symptoms.
“All of those characteristics and traits apply to every single patient. You all should be proud of yourselves. It has been harder to be a tick-borne illness patient than it ever was to fly in combat. I found the Lyme disease community to be as courageous and even more so, in some cases, as honorable and noble as the fighter pilots and the men and women that I went to war with,” she offered.

[@Grndmddr]

Thank you so much to both of you .... the insult of having such a difficult illness and not having the mainstream medical community believe us and provide support is so incredibly difficult and then yes as months turn into years many forget that each day can be so incredibly difficult for us. Chronic Lyme feels like being in a dark tunnel and having no idea whether you will reach the other side. ... and through it all learning to still know joy and not let it take everything.

[@waynealder7368]

Great interview! Col Malachowski is so articulate and intelligent.

[@barbaragreene-madden1676]

Thank you both! 💚

[@davidkanyok3579]

Yup!

[@roxannem2208]

💚

[@oralie.bordeaux]

I have chronic lyme as a single mom...it is the worst! Mold illness on top of it. This is a great interview...thank you for doing all you guys do. I hope I make it through the year. I don't have the support I need. But there are some good tips in this & the validation is so needed.

[@freddiamond7485]

Sorry you're going through this. No human being should have to endure this disease.

[@freddiamond7485]

www.amazon.com/Love-Hope-Lyme-Partners-Survivor-ebook/dp/B0B9Q8LX7G/