Former U.S. Air Force Colonel Nicole Malachowski, renowned as the first woman to fly with the Air Force Thunderbirds, has embarked on a profound mission: to revolutionize tick-borne illness awareness and prevention within the military, driven by her own devastating experience with diseases that ended her illustrious career.
Her personal ordeal began with subtle yet alarming symptoms, including a terrifying instance of brain fog in the cockpit of her F-15E Strike Eagle, a condition that profoundly impacted her ability to perform critical flight functions. This incident was just one of over sixty debilitating symptoms, ranging from severe neurological issues to chronic night sweats, which emerged in 2012 and 2013, ultimately forcing her into a medical retirement.
The path to an accurate diagnosis proved arduous and frustrating, requiring Malachowski to seek medical expertise outside the military system for years. She was eventually diagnosed with five separate tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease, a revelation that underscored the pervasive challenges within military health in identifying and treating these complex conditions.
A central tenet of her veteran advocacy is the firm belief that the military inadvertently failed to equip her with the necessary preventative medicine information regarding tick-borne illnesses, nor did it provide adequate diagnoses and comprehensive medical treatment once she became critically ill. This systemic gap in awareness and care fuels her relentless dedication to reform.
Malachowski’s impactful advocacy has already yielded tangible results; notably, her efforts were instrumental in establishing the first tick-borne illness prevention program deployed across the Air National Guard. This initiative has since briefed over 100,000 Guardsmen and involved a significant number of medical professionals, demonstrating a crucial step forward in military health and preventative care.
Despite documented increases in tick populations and the growing incidence of tick-borne illness, Malachowski highlights an entrenched skepticism within some medical circles regarding the prevalence and severity of Lyme disease. Discrepancies between military studies and civilian health organizations like the CDC regarding case numbers further complicate efforts to address this escalating public health challenge.
Her battle was intensely personal; at her lowest point, Malachowski was bedridden and housebound, requiring extensive medical interventions including a PICC line for medication delivery. Even now, as a sought-after motivational speaker and advocate, she openly shares that she operates at a fraction of her former capacity, a testament to the long-term debilitating effects of tick-borne illness.
Beyond the Air National Guard campaign, her fingerprints are evident on broader Lyme disease advocacy, contributing to the rewriting of Air Force regulations for ill service members and actively participating in national committees dedicated to advancing research and treatment for chronic Lyme infection. Her enduring commitment continues to shape the future of military health and veteran advocacy against these insidious diseases.
