Episode 200: Mylie's Lyme Story - an interview with Madeline and Alex Castellanos

Madeline Castellanos is a 9-year-old actor, student and author from Los Angeles, California. Her Lyme disease journey began 4 years ago when her mother, Alexandra, took her to an urgent care facility when she noticed the child had an “alarming rash."

After being dismissed by the urgent care doctor, the formerly energetic Madeline began to nap frequently, fall asleep during car trips, suffer daily migraine headaches, and fall behind her classmates academically in school. The developing symptoms and a new “bullseye” rash caused her mother to schedule Madeline for an examination by her primary care physician.

Madeline’s primary care doctor diagnosed her with Lyme disease after she tested positive on a Western Blot test. Sadly, Madeline’s doctor acknowledged that he did not have the experience or training to adequately treat her disease, so he urged Alexandra “find a good doctor” for her daughter.

Alexandra’s quest to find a “good doctor” required the pair to travel across the country from California to the birthplace of Lyme disease: Connecticut. There, Madeline treated with the famous Dr Jones of New Haven Connecticut for “10 months nonstop” before she achieved symptom relief. Today, Alexandra helps Madeline to prevent symptom flare ups through diet, limiting direct sun exposure, and avoiding stressful situations.

The Castellanos family’s Lyme journey taught the mother and daughter many powerful lessons that they wanted to share with other parents and children. Their first outreach project was to co-author a children’s book about a young child’s Lyme disease journey titled “Mylie’s Lyme Story.” Mylie’s Lyme Story is now available wherever books are sold including Amazon and ironically Target.

If you would like to know more about how Lyme disease inspired a mother and child to share their journey through a child friendly medium, then tune in now!