Tick Bite Leaves New Jersey Man Unable to Lift His Arms

When Mike Gallagher began losing strength in his shoulders, he first thought it was a work injury. The 60-year-old Lakewood resident had spent years working for the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, often outdoors in areas known for ticks. Shoulder pain turned into neurological symptoms. Hearing loss followed. Brain fog crept in. Eventually, he could no longer lift his arms high enough to hold his guitar.

Gallagher, a longtime Jersey Shore musician, was diagnosed with Lyme disease in June 2025 after what his wife, Jen Gallagher, believes were years of undetected infection. “He lost his use of his arms and shoulders, and the biggest love of his life was his guitar. He can’t even hold his guitar anymore,” she told the Asbury Park Press. Friends organized a benefit concert to help cover mounting medical costs as the illness left him unable to perform.

His case has drawn attention not only because of his local music roots, but because it reflects a broader reality in the Northeast, where Lyme disease remains one of the most common tickborne illnesses. New Jersey ranks among the states with the highest reported cases, and residents who spend time outdoors face heightened risk during peak tick season.

Lyme Disease: Common, Often Misunderstood

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and spreads through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Early symptoms often resemble the flu: fever, fatigue, headache and muscle aches. Many patients develop a distinctive bull’s-eye rash known as erythema migrans. If untreated, the infection can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system.

Nationally, Lyme is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. The CDC recorded more than 89,000 reported cases in 2023 through routine surveillance. However, alternative estimates suggest approximately 476,000 people may be diagnosed and treated each year, a figure that includes patients treated based on clinical suspicion.

Despite its prevalence, Lyme disease can be challenging to diagnose. Symptoms overlap with other conditions, and not every patient recalls a tick bite. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Jake Scott of Stanford Medicine has noted that “the term ‘chronic Lyme disease’ isn’t supported by current medical evidence,” emphasizing that persistent symptoms after treatment require careful evaluation rather than assumptions about ongoing infection.

A Surge in Ticks and Tickborne Illness

Tick populations are increasing across much of the country. According to Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, all 50 states and Washington, D.C., reported cases of tickborne diseases between 2019 and 2022. Lyme remains the most common, but other illnesses are also rising.

Researchers point to several drivers behind the surge. Warmer temperatures have allowed ticks to expand northward and remain active for longer portions of the year. Human development patterns also contribute. As Mandy Roome of Binghamton University explained, expanding suburbs and fragmented forests create ideal habitats for rodents that host ticks. “We’re increasing tick habitats, we’re increasing rodent habitats,” she said, describing how land use changes fuel disease spread.

Emergency departments are seeing the impact. In July 2025, the CDC reported the largest increase in tick-related hospital visits since 2017. Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D., a microbiology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, said more people are aware of tick risks and seeking care quickly. “If you remove a tick before it has taken a full blood meal there’s very little chance of acquiring a tick-borne disease,” he said.

Treatment, Recovery and Prevention

For most patients, Lyme disease is treatable with a standard course of antibiotics. The CDC notes that most cases resolve successfully with a few weeks of treatment. In some high-risk tick exposures, doctors may prescribe a single dose of doxycycline within 72 hours to reduce the chance of infection.

A smaller percentage of patients experience lingering symptoms after treatment. The CDC uses the term post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome for those who report fatigue, pain or cognitive difficulties after completing antibiotics. Studies show that while symptoms can persist, there is no evidence of ongoing bacterial infection in properly treated cases, a distinction physicians say is important when guiding care.

Prevention remains the most effective defense. Experts recommend wearing long sleeves and long pants in wooded areas, tucking pant legs into socks, using DEET or permethrin-treated clothing, and performing thorough tick checks after outdoor activities. Ticks can survive washing machines but not high-heat dryers, making a hot drying cycle a useful extra precaution. For Mike Gallagher and his family, awareness came at a cost. His wife hopes his story will encourage outdoor workers and musicians alike to take tick exposure seriously.