Living with Lyme Disease: One Northern Ontario Story

In this episode of Backroads Bill, we sit down with Justin Wood, founder of Geneticks.ca and a staff scientist at the University of Guelph, to talk about the growing reality of Lyme disease in Canada and the personal experience that changed his life forever.Justin shares his journey from being a healthy university athlete to suddenly dealing with debilitating neurological symptoms, chronic pain, fatigue, and years of unanswered medical questions. After being bounced between specialists and struggling to find answers, he was eventually diagnosed with Lyme disease, beginning a long and difficult road to recovery.We also dive into the science behind Lyme disease, how ticks spread infection, why early detection matters, and the challenges many patients still face when trying to access proper treatment and diagnosis. Justin explains how his own experience eventually led him to create Geneticks, a company focused on tick testing and helping people better understand their risk after exposure.Check out Justin's website: https://geneticks.ca/0:00 – Intro3:31 – What Lyme Disease Actually Is6:55 – From Athlete to Seriously Ill10:18 – Finally Getting Diagnosed16:05 – Turning His Experience Into a Business24:29 – The Truth About the Bullseye Rash29:07 – The Stigma Around Lyme Disease33:39 – How Tick Testing Works