Meredith Hodnock

So it kills it in the tick itself.

It's almost as if we're vaccinating ticks.

The previous drug trials were promising.

But now it was time to test this vaccine in the real world.

There were going to be dozens of test sites across the country with thousands of patients.

And where better to test a new Lyme vaccine than in Lyme, Connecticut?

So Vijay signed up to run a test site as an independent contractor for the drug company.

That meant he'd be recruiting participants, enrolling them in the study, and watching over them carefully for the next 20 months.

Do you feel like it changed your perspective on the community?

Beyond the vaccine, the drug company funding fueled Vijay's drive to pin down this shape-shifting disease.

Take, for example, the first symptom of Lyme disease.

the rash.

Vijay was managing one of the biggest test sites for this phase three vaccine trial.

He stopped moonlighting at the ER.

He stopped working extra jobs in local clinics.

The study was his life.

And he was the face of this study for his community.

Was there ever, ever for you even the smallest moment of doubt?

Vijay had to sit with these open questions.

Did the vaccine actually work?