Episode 285: Purpose to the Pain - an interview with Jill Wichner

Jill Wichner is a 48-year-old entrepreneur, copywriter, and content marketing strategist. She is also a board member and Vice President of social media and digital content marketing for the Pennsylvania Lyme Resource Network.

Ms. Wichner’s Lyme disease journey began when she “noticed a bullseye rash on the back of [her] arm” while on a Caribbean cruise with her husband. Thinking the rash was “a little bit odd, [she] took a photo” to show to her doctor in Lyme endemic Pennsylvania. “After showing [her doctor] the photo and asking him about the association with ticks, he advised that ticks aren’t found in the Caribbean, and that [she] would already be sick if the rash were a result of a tick bite”.

Ten months later, the high energy, socially active, full-time employee of a Pharma company became “seriously ill”, and she lost her job. Her illness forced her to seek treatment from “at least 7 doctors (not including those assigned to [her] during a 5-day hospital stay)” before she was diagnosed with Lyme, Bartonella and Babesia.

Her clinical doctor treated her with antibiotics and supplements for one year before she could return to work. The “time and struggle” of Lyme “significantly changed [her] perspective” and provided her with a license to leave a career in Pharma to pursue an entrepreneurial calling. After opening her own business, she also felt called to give purpose to her pain and accepted an invitation to join the board of the renowned Pennsylvania Lyme Resource Network.

If you would like to learn more about how Lyme disease changed the perspective of a Pharma employee and gave her permission to change her career path and the focus of her social contributions, then tune in now!