Share Your Hop Joy: Meet Monica
My joy is the outdoors...my passion is to educate people in how to remain well when pursuing all of their outdoor adventures! I used to be a wildlife biologist and wildland firefighter for the US Forest Service in Colorado....until I got bitten by a tick and got sick with Lyme and many other tick-borne infections. An illness that took 7 1/2 years to get properly diagnosed. This illness chronically impacted me and my entire family. So in response...I founded Colorado Tick-Borne Disease Awareness Association. A 501c3 non-profit dedicated to ELEVATING awareness, education, and prevention... so that others never suffer from the illnesses that have so drastically impacted our lives. And that those that are already suffering can access resources. I am passionate about helping people! Winning would highlight the importance of awareness at a much larger scale!! May is Lyme & other Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month! I love Hoplark! With chronic illness...alcohol is off the menu for so many people.
Learn more about Monica's organization and tick related illnesses.
COTBDAA is a 100% volunteer run organization. It is our mission to ELEVATE awareness of the devastating impacts of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and conditions to help people prevent exposure to these too often life altering or life ending illnesses. We prioritize support for patients and caregivers.
As a family we have a passion for spending time outdoors and to provide resources to others to remain tick-safe while enjoying time in the outdoors...including our canine companions!
Recent news article from our event in Steamboat Springs with Colorado Mountain College.
Just one bite can change a life! Colorado is home to nearly 30 species of ticks, some capable of transmitting pathogens that can cause illness in people, pets and wildlife. Travel to regions within the US and around the world where tick prevalence and disease may be even greater exposes Colorado travelers to additional risks that they may not be aware of. Regardless of where or how exposure to ticks may occur, Coloradans need access to accurate information regarding risk, prevention, potential disease, testing, diagnosis and treatment within Colorado and throughout the US. Though not every tick bite may transmit disease, prevention measures should always be taken and every tick bite should be treated properly.
I co-authored a publication on Ticks & Tick-Borne Disease in CO:
H Joel Hutcheson, James W Mertins, Boris C Kondratieff, Monica M White, Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases of Colorado, Including New State Records for Argas radiatus (Ixodida: Argasidae) and Ixodes brunneus (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Journal of Medical Entomology, tjaa232, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa232
Thank you so much, I look forward to working with you all at Hoplark in May and beyond!
