Making Fun of Lyme Disease is No Joking Matter

There was a Lyme community kerfluffle today with Kodak over their Mother’s Day ad on their Mom-A-Thon website. [Note: the website is no longer available, but a YouTube video is. See link below.]

The tongue-in-cheek idea of the promotion is to save a mother afflicted with Lackus Appreciatis, an “overwhelming feeling of recurring unappreciatedness and seasonal ingratitude.” In a video featuring actress and singer Florence Henderson, visitors are urged to join the Mom-a-Thon to “cure at least one million moms.”

Beyond the questionable humor of this idea, the site included material offensive to anyone who has or is connected to Lyme Disease. At the bottom of the site was this notice (which was removed after many Lyme sufferers contacted Kodak via their website and I tweeted about the issue on Twitter):
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IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE MISDIAGNOSIS OF LACKUS APPRECIATIS

Many cases of Lackus Appreciatis go undiagnosed because the affliction is often mistaken for other ailments, including: Heat Rash, Lyme Disease, Acne Vulgaris, Restless Leg Syndrome, Alopecia, Hay Fever, Shingles, TMJ.
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Lyme is a very serious illness for many people who have it.  And the other health issues listed in the note are not funny either for those who suffer from them. Do you think anyone would have thought it funny if Kodak had written their copy this way:

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IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE MISDIAGNOSIS OF LACKUS APPRECIATIS

Many cases of Lackus Appreciatis go undiagnosed because the affliction is mistaken for other ailments including cancer, AIDS, pneumonia, macular degeneration, diabetes, renal failure, dementia, and heart disease.
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Kodak, their ad agency, Bradley & Montgomery and any other companies who want to use Lyme Disease in promotions should treat it in the manner that the seriousness of the disease calls for. People who have Lyme Disease have good senses of humor, but having Lyme is no laughing matter.

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