The IDSA Closes the Door on Lyme Advocacy Again.
A message posted today on The Mayday Project Facebook page states that the The Mayday Project had previously paid for, and was approved by the marketing director, to set up a booth at IDWeek (a forum for health professionals of varied backgrounds to collaborate, cooperate, and learn from each other’s expertise October 8-12 Philadelphia, PA.) After the agreement was approved and paid for, the arrangement was terminated, apparently under pressure from the IDSA.
The Mayday Project’s spokesperson, Josh Cutler, states: “Since you donated in support of the booth, let us know if you would like a refund or would like the donation to go towards other expenses related to the Mayday Project protest at IDWeek. We are still going to IDWeek and still holding a protest, and any money donated will be used towards the protest, billboard trucks, etc… We need to know within the next 14 days so that we have a general idea of how much we have to go towards the protest.”
I find the situation very disturbing that the IDSA would, deliberately, deny access to our group to participate in the forum. I, for one, am not asking for a refund from the Mayday Project. As far as I’m concerned, this just fuels the fire and looks very, very bad for the IDSA and their counterparts who participate in IDWeek.
If I had a message for the IDSA, it would be “Keep it up….you are only building a case against your own organization by blatantly refusing to hear us”.
To learn more about the issues, view the below video interview with Josh Cutler.
Arklatex Lyme Disease Prevention & Support 