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Lyme advocate, Olivia Goodreau of LivLyme Foundation discusses her healing journey and technology solutions to living with and preventing Lyme with Pamela Wirth
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Olivia Goodreau is the founder of LivLyme Foundation, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to children and their families struggling with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases while also supporting the work of researchers and scientists who are dedicated to finding effective treatments and cures for tick-borne diseases. Olivia is also the inventor of the free global APP TickTracker, Tickmojis APP, and recently launched her latest free APP, LongHaulTracker.
Olivia founded the LivLyme Foundation in 2017 when she was 12 years old to raise money for children who cannot afford their Lyme treatments, to fund research to find a cure for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, and to educate the world about ticks.
Olivia has given over 100 grants to children ranging in ages from 2-21 to help with their Lyme and tick-borne disease treatments. She has had over 1000+ applications from 49 states.
Olivia has given multiple scientific grants to Stanford University, John’s Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and University of New Haven.
Olivia’s memoir “But She Looks Fine - From Illness to Advocacy” launches May 9th, 2023. So many young people are faced with life-changing hardships— from illness and disease to loss and calamity. What Olivia discovers through her journey with chronic Lyme, and what she has been sharing with the world, is that inside of every predicament is also a possibility. This is the story of how Olivia turned the physical challenges and emotional hardships she had faced since she was a little girl into an engaged life of advocacy for others.
Olivia has testified twice in front of the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, Tick-Borne Disease Working Group and both the House and Senate in Washington DC. Olivia has testified behind closed doors to Congress at the request of Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey. She helped pass the Kay Hagan Tick Act at the personal request of Senator Susan Collins of Maine, which appropriated $150 million dollars for tick-borne diseases. Olivia helped lobby with Center for Lyme Action and spoke at their inaugural “fly in” for another $91 million for tick-borne diseases in the congressional budget. Olivia has presented at U.S Department of Labor, The White House, U.S Department of Health and Human Services, The U.S Census Bureau, U.S Centers for Disease and Control (CDC), Stanford University, Harvard University’s Dean Center for Tick-Borne Illness, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Institute, Entomological Society of America, Microsoft, Boy Scouts of America, University of Colorado School of Public Health, Focus on Lyme, Midcoast Lyme Disease Support and Education, Center for Lyme Action and various other organizations.
Awards received include “The Bravery Award” from Stanford University’s BioADD Laboratory (as the youngest recipient), the “Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes”, the “Women Who Inspire” in the #beboldforchange from Nigeria’s Florence Ozor Foundation, the 2017 “People Who Inspire Award” from Ride Out Lyme, 2019 “The Power of One” award from Focus on Lyme, 2019 International Women’s Economic Forum’s award for “Young Innovators Creating a Better World for All”, “Bluebird of Hope”, from the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation awarded for displaying courage, providing hope, and creating change. In 2017, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper proclaimed April 8th as “Olivia Goodreau Day” in recognition of “her commitment to increasing awareness of Lyme Disease and to supporting scientists, doctors, and researchers as they work to improve treatment and find a cure”.
Olivia has an annual LivLyme Summits since 2018, where she had the top tick-borne disease scientists, doctors, government officials and advocates from around the world speak to a virtual audience of over 1700+ guests from 34 different countries. She offered free Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for over 400 doctors to learn about tick-borne diseases.
Olivia is the youngest inventor to participate in the US Department of Health and Human Services’, “The Opportunity Project” (TOP), a 14-week tech sprint with her APP. TickTracker was selected by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services as the “top tech tool” that is solving global health problems. Olivia presented her app at the White House and at the U.S Census Bureau in 2019. In 2021, Olivia was selected as one of 6 winners in the U.S Department of Health and Human Service’s LymeX “Education & Awareness Healthathon Challenge”.
Olivia has interned at U.S Center of Disease and Control (CDC), Stanford University, Duke University, and University of Southern California’s labs.
Olivia is the Advisory Board Chair for Youth Advocacy for Invisible International non profit. Junior Ambassador for Lyme Disease Challenge, “Take a Bite Out of Lyme”, non profit. Featured in the book, “Being a Better Human Teenager”. Featured in Forbes Magazine, “Tireless Teen Takes Ticks To Task”, and over 20 local & national TV appearances and featured in over 25 news and magazine articles.
Olivia hopes the LivLyme Foundation will positively impact those that suffer from all tick-borne diseases. Olivia’s hobbies include drawing, reading, scuba diving, water and snow skiing. She loves her family, her dogs and loves to hang out with her friends.
Olivia will be attending UCLA in the fall of 2023 majoring in public health and double minoring in political science and global studies.
Connect with Olivia at:
https://www.tiktok.com/@livlymefoundation
https://www.facebook.com/olivialyme/
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