NovaLash CEO Takes a Bite Out of Lyme Disease

Imagine, one day you’re feeling just fine, spending time at that cute coffee shop downtown or heading to the movies with a friend, and the next day, your body feels wrong in ways you can’t explain—headaches, fatigue, joint pain. The pain gets worse and worse, and your doctor doesn’t seem to know what’s wrong. It could be anything. You know that you hurt every day, but the worst part is not knowing why. 

That’s how it is for the millions of people struggling with undiagnosed Lyme disease, an illness caused by the bacteria present in tick bites. And one of those people living with this disease is NovaLash’s CEO, Sophy Merszei, the mother of eyelash extensions. As a Molecular Biologist, Cosmetic Chemist and the founder of NovaLash, Sophy has been dealing with the debilitating effects of Lyme disease, as well as its attendant disorders, for 30 years.

“I didn’t get tested early, as a child, because even the best doctors didn’t have the right information back then,” Sophy says, “Still today, most doctors, including my husband, are being taught outdated information on Lyme disease.”

This is why NovaLash is issuing a call to arms! Sophy and her team are asking that NovaLash fans help spread awareness by joining the Take a Bite Out of Lyme Disease Challenge! All you have to do is post a selfie or video online of your best sour-face biting into a lime and then include a fact about Lyme disease. Hashtag your picture with #NovaLashTakesABiteOutOfLyme or #LymeDiseaseChallenge and NovaLash will make a donation to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Educational Fund!

But taking the challenge can also help in a simpler way. Sometimes, for those dealing with the daily effects of Lyme disease already, all it takes to help is the reassurance that they’re not alone. This is what motivated Sophy, who was inspired to share her struggle because of someone else’s bravery. She cites Yolanda Foster from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as an inspiration because of her visibility on social media. “She has inspired me to come out of my little ‘Lyme Closet’ and share photos of myself that I was previously embarrassed and ashamed of. If I can help one child get diagnosed early, it’s well worth sharing my ugly picture.”