We've come to know Lyme as a deeply complex illness that has yet to be fully understood. Julia is not fully cured under Neil Spencer's care, her quality of life significantly improves.

Due to his weakened immune system, Neil passes away at the age of 63. Neil's lab makes a discovery that may revolutionize the field, and he falls ill with a virus. He realizes Lyme testing and treatment has been at a standstill for decades and shifts his focus to tick-borne disease. Neil Spector, a Duke University cancer researcher, receives a heart transplant due to Lyme. Five years into treatment and still sick, Julia and her family begin advocating for others. Aware of the Lyme disease controversy, they ignore the warnings and venture into the fringes of medicine.

This attracts the attention of public health officials who warn Julia's father, Enrico, against pursuing treatment for Lyme disease. Unable to walk due to Lyme disease, 12-year-old Julia Bruzzese is blessed by Pope Francis on live television, thrusting both her and Lyme into the public eye. A paper trail of suppressed scientific research, and buried documents reveals why ticks, and the diseases they carry, have been allowed to quietly spread around the globe. What begins as a patient story evolves into an investigation into the history of Lyme disease, dating back to it's discovery in 1975. 'The Quiet Epidemic' follows their search for answers, which lands them in the middle of a vicious medical debate. After years of living with mysterious symptoms, a young girl from Brooklyn and a Duke University scientist are diagnosed with a disease said to not exist, Chronic Lyme disease.

The quiet patient