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6 Hudson Valley Parent n April 2019 A s the cold gray of winter begins to fade and the sun wakes up from its seasonal slumber, a stir starts in the Hudson Valley. Each weekend, hiking trails are littered with families and their fur babies and farms are once again packed with ripened berries and the locals who love them. I love rolling up my jeans and donning my favorite pair of red Keds and a Geneseo t-shirt after a long winter of snow boots and scarves protecting me from the wicked, winter winds. I trade my ski cap for sunglasses and roll the windows down in my Nissan. Springtime in the Hudson Valley always makes me happy. Buds burst on the trees and adorable animals begin peeking their heads out from the woods behind my apartment building. My new cat Pip has already claimed the sunniest spot in the house as her favorite seat where she will soak up as much Vitamin D as she can. The warm weather of spring brings everything out of its winter hiding, including dreaded disease carrying ticks. My family and I are no strangers to ticks and the dangerous illnesses they cause. When my brother Christopher was 13 years old, he was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Fortunately, a red bullseye rash on my twin's thigh triggered my mother to take him to the doctor immediately. Excruciating headaches and an unwavering exhaustion were wiped out by an intense round of antibiotics. Fast-forward ten years later. My brother was once again diagnosed with a tick-borne illness. This time, there was no rash. We never even saw a tick on him. Anaplasmosis was the culprit behind his sleepiness, headaches and his deliriously high fever, this time. It took a terrifying night in the hospital and two rounds of heavy antibiotics to alleviate his symptoms after this tick bite. The Hudson Valley is a tick hotbed. If your family hasn't been personally affected by ticks and the diseases they carry, you probably know someone who has. This month, Hudson Valley Parent's very own Director of Consumer Development shares her experience when her son, who is allergic to the medicine usually used to treat Lyme, was bit by a tick and diagnosed with the disease. When her son was too tired and weak to get out of bed, she knew something was wrong. Luckily, she trusted her mom instincts and sought out medical attention even though her child never developed the bullseye rash. This spring, while you are exploring the splendor of the Hudson Valley, be sure to keep you and your family protected from ticks. Professionals provide expert tips on prevention and protection so that you don't have to lock your kids indoors to keep them safe. Spring means sun, fun and ticks CASSIDY BRIGHTON Editor's Journal Publisher TERRIE GOLDSTEIN tgoldstein@excitingread.com Editor CASSIDY BRIGHTON cbrighton@excitingread.com Dir. of Consumer Development PAMELA PERRY pperry@excitingread.com Dir. of Business Development KATHLEEN MERZ kmerz@excitingread.com Executive Assistant LESLIE CORTES lcortes@excitingread.com Media Advisor MARY ZAK mzak@excitingread.com Intern CAILEY WALLS Cover Photography MICHAEL BLOOM MichaelBloomPhoto.com Layout & Design ENGLE PRINTING also publishers of MY TripPlanner.com family MY TripPlanner.com family Hudson Valley Parent is published monthly by: The Professional Image Marketing & Public Relations Inc. 174 South Street • Newburgh, NY 12550 Phone: 845-562-3606 • Fax: 845-562-3681 hvparent.com This publication is copyrighted by the publisher. Reproduction without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Hudson Valley Parent welcomes submissions, although we cannot accept responsibility for work submitted nor guarantee publication.