Education, Advocacy, Resources, and Support

NELAD RF’s mission is to be a vital resource for families struggling with Lyme and its associated diseases by helping them to access effective treatment through education and advocacy, while offering opportunities 

for financial and emotional support.  

We work collaboratively with other advocates and organizations in order to maximize 

the support people need and deserve.

NELAD honors the memory of our parents, Pasquale and Esther, who encouraged and believed in us from the very beginning. We operate with a spirit of humility, cooperation, compassion, and hopefulness – just as our parents taught us.

Four Siblings: One Mission 

It’s no secret that there continues to be 

countless obstacles that prevent people from getting 

diagnosed properly and treated effectively.

NELAD: Where Education, Advocacy, Resources, and Support-

All Join Hands to Help…

Our four main goals are:

1) First and foremost, to diminish the suffering of individuals and their loved ones with Lyme and its associated diseases

2) Provide access to proper education, testing and treatment, with opportunities for financial support

3) Work collaboratively with other advocates and organizations 

in order to maximize the 

assistance people and their families need and deserve

4) Support research on Lyme and other vector–borne diseases

Our Story 

There are five siblings in the DiBara family and we all have been afflicted with Lyme disease and other associated illnesses. Many of our children and additional family members have also been diagnosed and treated. 

In 2013, Darlene, the youngest sibling, was the first to be diagnosed. Before we found a doctor to help her, she had been seen by more than 20 practitioners, and had over a dozen diagnostic procedures. She truly thought she was going to die and needed to find someone to care for her sons, who were also ill. One doctor wanted her to be evaluated for an ALS diagnosis. After that suggestion, her health and spirit declined rapidly. 

Our family was devastated, terrified, and felt powerless. 

Our story begins with Darlene and 'Lyme,' - 

but our legacy is this foundation.

Four of us are co-founders of NELAD. Our brother, Matthew, died in March, 2024 at the age of 63. He suffered with Alzheimer’s/ dementia, with frontal lobe atrophy- a devastating implication from an undiagnosed vector-borne illness.  

There is much work to be done . . .

March 2024 obituary.