Poughkeepsie Play Tells Story Of Teen Victim Of Lyme Disease
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A 17-year-old's death from Lyme disease that went undiagnosed is the subject of a play being performed Monday evening at the Bardavon Opera House in Poughkeepsie.
"The Little Things" tells the story of Joseph Elone, a Poughkeepsie High School honor student who died two years ago from the disease, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported. The play is directed by actress Mary Stuart Masterson, a Dutchess County resident.
The play is based on interviews with Elone's family.
"These people are not politicians," Masterson said. "They're just people. And their son himself was headed down a path of becoming an environmentalist."
"I think it makes people really frightened and confused, and myself included -- I have four very small kids, and I want them to just love nature and be outside all day long," Masterson said.
Most of the ticks tested in Masterson's community tested positive for Lyme disease.
"The percentage in our area, in Dutchess County, is about 70 percent," said Dr. Richard Horowitz, who specializes in the treatment of the disease.
Lyme disease mimics many other illnesses, he added.
"Because the testing is unreliable, a lot of doctors miss it, and people are misdiagnosed," Horowitz said.
Horowitz said people with Lyme disease not only have to find medical help, but they also have to convince others it's real.
For more information on "The Little Things," click here.