SUDBURY -- As many across Ontario use the month of May to advocate for Lyme disease, those who have dealt with the illness first-hand say education is crucial.

"Prior to Emily getting sick like I said, I knew nothing about Lyme disease. I really had not heard of it," said Samantha Simon, a mother whose daughter was bitten by a tick two years ago.

Despite Emily having the "bullseye rash" that is popular with tick bites and Lyme disease, doctors weren't able to properly diagnose her.

"We took her into (emergency) at our local hospital and they had told me that she was just having a bad reaction to a mosquito bite and she was fine, give her some Benadryl, it will go away," explained Simon.

"So we kind of accepted that at the time, but as the weeks started to progress, Emily started to get really, really sick. So she was just having awful headaches and joint pain, she was really lethargic. She was a 20-month-old little girl that was so, so active, would run around like crazy, so much energy and she went from that to just kind of laying on the couch all the time. She was tired, she had no energy. She wouldn't even walk, she resorted back to crawling."

Eventually, Simon says they took Emily to SickKids in Toronto, saw a specialist in Kitchener who confirmed Lyme disease, and then British Columbia for treatment.

"For about two years after that initial bite, we continued to treat Emily off and on for Lyme. And even still at this point, she still has some headaches and some joint pain."

With warmer weather now in the forecast and many people getting outside, officials are urging people to check for ticks to keep themselves safe from Lyme disease.

"The black-legged tick is the one that transmits the disease and fortunately for us [in Sudbury], it comes on migratory birds," explained Adam Ranger, an environmental support officer with Public Health Sudbury & Districts.

"Which means, it hasn't established itself here year-round like some of the other ticks we have,"said Ranger. "With Lyme Disease, the earlier you react, the better your results are in terms of preventing yourself from getting it. So if a person has been bitten by a tick, and they suspect it's a blacklegged tick and it's been on them for more than 24-hours, then the simplest way to deal with that is talk to your doctor and get prescribed medication."

Melanie Lachance, a woman who has been dealing with Lyme disease for more than 20 years, says she was misdiagnosed for years until she finally received confirmation in 2011.

"I was on antibiotics for about two years with no improvement, unfortunately. Then I tried natural treatments for at least another year. But natural treatments can be anywhere from $600-900 a month. At one point I was taking over 25 pills a day, different supplements for my liver, my kidneys, to help with the memory loss and brain fog," said Lachance.

She says due to her misdiagnoses for several years, other complications came to the surface including light and sound sensitivity, other physical symptoms and psychological symptoms.

"Lyme attacks every part of your body, every system of your body and it affects everyone differently. So some people are in a wheelchair like I said, it affects everyone differently and some people it hits really fast, and some people, like mine, it rotates," said Lachance.

Ranger says there are ways of protecting yourself while outside.

"To prevent being bitten, you can wear bug spray that contains DEET, recommend applying to most of your clothing and your skin. Wearing long-sleeve shirts, long pants, even tucking your pants into your socks is a good way to prevent ticks from actually attaching," said Ranger.

Wearing light-coloured clothing so that ticks are easier to see is also recommended, along with checking for them after being outside.

Ranger says although they are present in the Sudbury area, the risk is low compared to other places.

"In terms of ticks, we had three positive ticks last year test positive for the disease. None in 2018 and in 2017 there was only two," he explained. "So far in the office this year, we've received six ticks - three of them being black-legged and the results of those are pending."

Although it is recommended that if you get bit by a tick, you take it to your local health unit for testing, Ranger says that medical attention and possibly antibiotics should happen immediately instead of waiting for the tick results to come back.

Lachance says that May is such an important month to raise awareness for doctors, people at risk and the general public.

"It's also an invisible disease and the reason I say that is […] people look at me and go 'you look good today, you're fine.' It's just a very, very hard illness for people to see and realize how much you're suffering. Especially when you've been suffering for so long," said Lachance.