Washington’s SB 5448, Recognizing Chronic Lyme was signed Friday, April 24, by Governer Inslee.  There will be more steps in the future, but the signing makes way for some of the stories from the inspiring patients that supported this bill.

I love to share other people’s stories and other people’s work, and the patients advocating this bill will be a special treat to hear from.

By the time I listened to the testimonies given at one of the hearings, I was hopeful about the outcome of the bill for my own purposes as a patient, but I also gained hope and inspiration from the patients that were so invested and dedicated to it’s success.

There were many involved at many levels, but I am leaving out the names here because that will come through other posts over time, from or about them, in as many of their own words as possible.  A few are mentioned in previous posts about the bill, however, and you can read the story of the bill’s Co-author, Dan Boeholt via this link, and hopefully more here in the future.

When there are happy or hopeful things to share, it is quite a blessing.  I and others blogging about this bill, I’m sure, felt this as Washington’s Chronic Lyme Bill progressed and we passed on requests or information.

Now that it has been signed, the story is not over, as there will be more steps, but also because it makes room for what the patients involved came through to get there.

My posts on the topic were detailed and some were full of seemingly extraneous links, depending on the level of interest one has in knowing each step along the way.  You can find them here if you are interested, but my point is that I mostly wrote about what was needed and the Bill itself.

We, as patients, can all benefit from these stories, emotionally and politically.  I’d invite you to visit both sides of this bill as more stories are shared, because both sides are important and help show what goes into an effort like this and what has to be balanced as things change over time.

I’m grateful to what these folks have done so far and what we can learn from them on all the different emotional, political, or legislative levels that may apply, as the lessons unfold this year and next year, and as the steps proceed.

Thank you those who share their stories and to those that read them.