Athena Brownson
speaker
330 appearances
8 recordings
1 series
first heard Nov 2024
last heard May 2025
Athena Brownson’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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Appearances
So depending on what you're genetically predisposed to, whatever your genetic weaknesses are, Lyme... attacks that so for some people that can be myalgia or rheumatoid arthritis a multitude of autoimmune diseases like i have i have an autoimmune disease where my body attacks my nerves so that's why i'm in pain all the time because my own body is attacking my nerves
It can look like psychiatric issues for some people. It can range from such a variety of symptoms that that's what makes it difficult to diagnose. However, Lyme is the fastest growing epidemic in the United States right now. So the number of people that are contracting Lyme from a tick, like I said, You get it from being bit by a tick.
And if you are aware that you're bit by a tick immediately, you should go to the doctor. You'll usually see a red ring around the bite if it is carrying a disease. But I would say if you get bit by a tick, just go to the doctor because they can give you a short cycle of antibiotics and you'll never deal with it again.
It's cases like mine where you don't know that you were bit, so it lays dormant in your system. And then when you least expect it, no one ever expects all of a sudden to start having the horrific symptoms. My life has made a complete 180 from being a professional athlete to trying to get myself through each day. It's a nightmare I wouldn't wish on anyone.
Now it's taught me more in life than I think anything ever could. But people should be very aware that if you're in a heavily wooded area and there are ticks present, you should be aware of protecting yourself with long sleeves. They make tick repellent sprays. And if you do get bit, to go to the doctor because chronic Lyme disease, which is what stays for a long time,
is a very difficult disease to navigate. So if you know that you got bit and you can take a couple of weeks of antibiotics, then you'll never deal with it again. But unfortunately, that's usually not the case. Most people, I believe 70% of people with Lyme disease have no idea when or where they were bit.
Challenge is the perfect word because it is the most challenging thing that I have ever been through. And it is something that when you break a bone or have a surgery, you can talk to the doctor and they say, if you do A, B, C, and D, you'll get better. With chronic Lyme disease, unfortunately, there's no if you do A, B, C, and D, you'll get better. Different for everyone.
It's something that is just starting to be really understood and studied on a global scale. And because it's different for everyone, there really is, you almost feel like a lab rat. with trying different therapies. But when I was diagnosed, I truly was naive because like I said, I was at the top of my real estate game.
I felt a little bit invincible before that having come from a professional skiing career. which I actually believe is what taught me the grit to get through each day and to get through this adversity and to keep pushing forward.
Because I believe that when we're hit with life, with difficulties and challenges and horrific incidents, that unfortunately all of us have different adversity that we do face in life.
And it's really difficult at that time to a moment and understand that although these are the most challenging times of my life, and it's been seven and a half years where I don't remember what it is like to not be in constant pain, I have Waking up in the morning is, it feels like the most difficult task I've ever done.
Every little thing that I do is so taxing on my body and exhausting on my body and painful. I spend a huge amount of time in hospitals. Like I said, I get sick. all of my plasma taken out once a month which is a huge transfusion it's really hard not to get stuck in the mud when you're dealing with something that is so challenging and so constant and chronic pain and chronic fatigue and
All of the symptoms that come with Lyme disease are enough to make anyone want to stay in bed and not do anything. And I truly... A lot of people do, and there's no right or wrong way of approaching life and its challenges, and that includes disease. Everyone has their own way to get through things, but what I personally have learned and what I hope to share with others is...
We have to really dig deep and understand that when you look back in life, nothing, you don't learn your greatest lessons. You don't grow when everything's going to plan. We make the biggest strides. We have the biggest periods of growth when we're going through difficulties and we figure out how we're going to get through them. And we don't allow ourselves to gets stuck in the mud, so to speak.
And I believe that there is a time and a place for mourning or being very upset and depressed and sad and angry that your life has... really been completely changed by a disease that is is some it's not something that every once in a while you don't feel good it's 24 hours a day seven days a week and it you can't escape it so within that how do we pivot our mentality
How do we create our tool pit of things that we know are going to get us through every day, even when we don't want to? There's never a day that I want to get out of bed. I feel horrible, absolutely horrible. But I know that if I put on some of my favorite music or podcast,
and just blast it and grab one of my, make myself a great cup of coffee, that those are things that are just gonna get my day started. And every little, I always try and find little hacks for how I can get through each part of my day. I really do believe that having something that you're passionate about
that can take your mind off of what you're going through a little bit and keep your eyes motivated looking forward. That's the key because it's so easy to just get stuck in the mud, give up and I believe that when your mentality is in that place of wanting to give up and just stay in bed or maybe stop looking for different solutions, different doctors, different treatments.
There's such a wide variety of treatments all over the world that you have to be your own biggest advocate. I believe that a huge component of that is mental. So understanding how you can pivot your mentality from this disease is taking over, ruining my life, to... How can I use this to become a better, stronger, grittier version of myself? How can I use this to be the best version of me?
And how am I going to do that? And it's usually by the people that you're surrounding yourself with and the coaches that are in your life or your family members or whoever it may be. But you have to find those anchors that keep you grounded to really push forward and not give up because you have to be your own biggest advocate.
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