It’s Time To Get Serious About Lyme And Tick-Borne Diseases

Alec Dulude
1995-2023

On April 1, 2023, Alec Richard Dulude, a remarkable young man known for his zest for life, intelligence, and warm heart, passed away at the age of 27, following a years-long battle with undiagnosed tick-borne diseases.

Born in Salem, Oregon on September 27, 1995, Alec was a gifted problem solver with a tinkerer’s interest in how things worked. His childhood and early adulthood were filled with exciting outdoor adventures, close-knit family camping trips, and spirited exploits in skiing and water sports. An academic enthusiast with a particular fondness for physics, Alec later pursued engineering at Oregon State University and was a walk-on athlete for the rowing team.

However, in the last six years of his life, Alec's once vibrant journey took a tragic turn as he grappled with escalating health issues resulting from tick-borne infections that had gone undiagnosed. This battle forced him to withdraw from college during his junior year, marking the onset of a courageous fight to reclaim his health. Alec maintained a brave and steadfast outlook throughout his adversity, leaving an indelible mark of strength and resilience on his bereaved family and friends. His passing leaves a deep void, but his loved ones will remember his spirit as joyously navigating peaceful, crystal-clear waters—forever free from pain.

One Father, One Mission

Richard Dulude, MD has made it his mission in life to found Alec’s Place after his son passed from tick-borne illnesses. After years of personal research and conversations with experts, he has found that tick-borne illnesses—the most famous being Lyme disease—are far more widespread than people realize.

It will take substantial boosts in sorely-needed research funding to avert the crisis brought on by these stealth infections that are shattering patients’ lives. Dr. Dulude is fiercely committed to instilling a sense of urgency in our leaders by raising awareness among his medical colleagues, educating elected officials, and shaking the healthcare sector out of its lethargy by empowering patients to take control of their own best outcomes.

Statesman Journal Interview

Rick Dulude, MD lost his son Alec to suicide on April 1, 2023. He said Alec's struggle started six years earlier, after a tick bite…

  • “I’ve got a purpose in life for the rest of my life.”

    Richard Dulude, MD

  • “There was no challenge too big for Alec, if you wanted to accomplish something, you had Alec.”

    Joseph Unfred, Friend Of Alec

  • “The USA is experiencing an epidemic of increasing mental illness, suicide, violence, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities in children.”

    Robert C. Brandsfield MD
    Psychiatrist, Rutgers University

  • “There are currently over 100 different infectious agents and the immune reactions to them that are known to cause mental illnesses including... bacteria, viruses, [and] parasites.”

    Robert C. Bransfield MD
    Psychiatry, Rutgers University

  • “What happens is the infection gets to the brain and then causes alterations in the way the brain works.”

    Dr. Alan B. MacDonald
    Current Pathologist studying Alec’s tissues

  • “In the fullness of time, the mainstream handling of Chronic Lyme Disease will be viewed as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of medicine.”

    Kenneth Liegner, MD

  • “Never before in medicine have I witnessed so few people having so much influence and been so wrong.”

    Sam Donta, MD
    Dr Donta resigned in protest from the CDC over the
    1994 Dearborn Lyme test changes

  • “Science advances one funeral at a time.”

    German Physicist Max Planck

  • “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”

    Sir William Osler
    (1849-1919)

  • “We could show some humanity, let's try to change the equation.”

    Richard Dulude, MD

  • “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

    (Provenance unknown, but sentiment attributed to Mahatma Gandhi)

Memories of Alec Dulude

Alec Dulude was described by his loved ones as extraordinary — unselfish, social, active, smart, driven and brave. In 2016, when he was 21, he had to stop playing sports at Oregon State University and then quit school altogether because of health issues he couldn’t explain.

Alec’s Place

The Problem of
Medical Misdiagnosis

Uncover the harrowing realities of medical misdiagnoses and the chance at recoveries that lie just one correct diagnosis away. Learn how to be your own health advocate in a system where a second opinion can mean a second chance at life.

Ready to take the next step? It starts with education, research, awareness, and legislation. The goals of the Alec's Place outreach mission include:

  • More awareness, especially of the neuropsychiatric symptoms of tick-borne illness

  • Tick-borne illness clinics that everyone could have access to

  • Preventative measures by those who spend time outdoors

  • Regular testing and screening for tick-borne diseases in people struggling with mental illnesses in psychiatric hospitals and jails

Take Action