It seemed odd for my son to be barefoot coming off a cross- country run. But there he was, strolling across the sports complex, running shoes in hand, carefully inspecting the inside of his sneakers. As he approached the car, he took out the inner sole. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Ticks,” he replied,” lots of them.”

I looked inside the heavily worn shoe and thought it may be best to toss them in the trash. “This is nothing,” he said. When his run had ended, he thought it was mud splattered all over his legs. To his surprise, it wasn’t mud, rather a hearty splattering of ticks.

This incident seemed good enough reason for me not to run. My husband had begun the relentless reminders that the Beach to Beacon was only two months away. I was long overdue in starting my running program. When it comes to running, I can come up with any number of excuses to not do it. The fear of ticks seemed as good as any.

The next day I was in a store talking to a friend, who reached over and grabbed a tick from my sweater. It appeared to be making its way toward my arm pit. I was surprised. It was morning, and other than going to and from my car, I hadn’t been outside at all that day. I guess it doesn’t matter what you’re doing. Ticks have a way of finding you no matter what.

Ticks are everywhere this year. The thought of a tick has me scratching my head, fearful that one may be sitting on my scalp, hidden under my thick head of hair. And so the practice of nightly tick inspections has begun. Ticks are not your friends. But that shouldn’t stop you from getting to know them well. You do not want a tick bite.

Scarborough resident Stephen Pallotta knows this all too well. A series of bizarre symptoms eventually landed this Scarborough firefighter in a wheel chair, unable to work. Stephen had no idea what hit him and doctors didn’t know either. Mysteriously ill, he was weak, clumsy and fatigued. When a doctor finally diagnosed him with ALS, a living hell began. It is the last thing that you want on a medical record: a disease with no positive test to confirm and a disease that has no cure. Stephen has seen first hand that an ALS diagnosis stops insurance companies dead in the tracks. You can forget medical discovery and recovery. Patients with an ALS diagnosis is on their own even if an out-of-network doctor can positively prove them wrong.

Stephen found a doctor in New York, who ran a series of blood work in December 2006. A positive test came back identifying Lyme and other co-infections: babesiosis, Q-fever and Bartonella. Despite the optimistic news, Stephen’s medical carrier refused payment for the office visits and lab work because the doctor was “out of network.” His insurance has finally agreed to pick up a portion of the cost of medication, which currently costs $3,000 amonth. The family pays $1,100 out of pocket. Imagine this happening to you. I know one thing – if it happened to me, I’d be ticked!

Thanks to dedicated friends, family members, firefighters and many people in the community, a series of fundraisers has helped pay medical costs, which include continued trips to New York to visit his doctor. This humbling experience has Stephen and his family sharing their story so that others can avoid this nightmare.

At an Italian dinner fundraiser in January, information on ticks was provided. Sharing his experience and information is a way that Stephen can feel proactive today. That evening I received a little pocket guide titled “Know Your Ticks.” This guide has been most helpful. After experiencing some tick encounters in the last week, I spent some time in tick study hall, and thought I’d share these learning’s with you (courtesy of Maine Medical Center Research Institute with assistance from the state).

First, get to know your ticks. In New England, it is the deer Ttck that transmits Lyme disease. These nymphal ticks are the size of a pinhead and are active May through July. Adult ticks can also transmit infection and are active October through December and then again from April through June. Dog ticks are active in Maine April through August, though they do not transmit Lyme disease.

To avoid tick bites, it is suggested that you wear light-colored clothing and tuck your pant legs into your socks. You may not like it, but the insect repellent DEET is highly recommended. Frequent tick inspections each time you return from being outdoors, and frequent showers and laundering, are recommended. Dryer heat will kill ticks on clothing.

Though information suggests that ticks usually need to attach for 36 hours to transmit Lyme disease, if you find a tick, remove it promptly. Ticks especially like body fold areas, behind your ears and in your hair. Grasp the tick close to the skin with tweezers and pull gently until the tick lets go. Contrary to what’s been said, Vaseline, alcohol and nail polish are not effective. Consult your doctor if you remove an engorged deer tick, and waste no time if a bull’s-eye ring should form around a bite, This is serious business.

FMI check out these websites: www.mmcri.org/lyme/lymehome.html, www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/ddc/lyme.htm, www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/indes.htm

It’s true what they say: an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure. And the same is true when it comes to physical exercise. How do I know? My husband always reminds me, it’s time to jumpstart that exercise program that has stalled. It always helps to have a really good reason. And I found a good reason last Saturday.

Scarborough Family Chiropractic coordinated a 5K run to promote health and wellness, and decided to donate the proceeds to Stephen. That was motivation enough for me to enter the race, along with 81 others, who came out to exercise and support Stephen. Thanks to the Scarborough Fire Department, Bettenecourt Designs, Computer Works, Mister Bagel, Poland Spring and Scarborough Family Chiropractic, a check for $3,750 was presented to Stephen. If the fear of ticks has you running scared, and you’d like to contribute to help Stephen, donations can be made payable to: Stephen Pallotta c/o Bank of America – Acct 4580 0021 2026.