Bio: Allie Cashel is the author of Suffering the Silence: Chronic Lyme disease in an Age of Denial and is co-founder and Executive Director of the The Suffering the Silence Community, a nonprofit organization dedicated to leveraging the power of art, media, and storytelling to raise awareness around the life experience of people living with chronic illnesses.. Since starting work with STS, Allie has been invited to speak at events around the country ranging from private fundraisers to congressional forums, from medical schools to book stores and support groups. She hosted and organized the 2015 Suffering the Silence Symposium in London, is the Chair of the Global Lyme Alliance Young Leaders Council, and has worked as a founding member of the social action startup Postcard.com, PBC, a certified B Corporation, for the past two years. She now works as a freelance writer to supplement her work with Suffering the Silence.