Alabama: Les Roberts

Alabama – “In the Lymelight” ~ Les Roberts

Les Roberts, a twenty year victim of chronic Lyme Disease and a cancer patient since 2009, is the author of the expository mystery/suspense/thriller novel, The Poison Plum.  (Les Roberts’ life ended in March 2012.  May he now rest in peace.)

 Mr. Roberts first became seriously ill in 1990 with a laundry list of bizarre symptoms that baffled the 23 physicians that he saw over a ten year period. In the year 2000, after extensive research and very near death, he correctly diagnosed his disease and demanded to be treated with IV antibiotics. This resulted in a referral to a Lyme Disease specialist who confirmed the diagnosis and immediately began aggressive antibiotic treatments. As a result of the long delayed diagnosis, the disease had become late stage tertiary and even though a significant reduction of symptoms was achieved with treatment, a total cure remained elusive.

In November of 2009, Mr. Roberts was diagnosed with a very rare stage IV cancer of the parotid gland, and then, in May of 2010, he was diagnosed with disseminated malignant melanoma. His doctors at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic in Houston believe that the chronic suppression of his immune system by the Lyme infection led to the development of the cancers.

The many years of research required to determine the cause of his illness led to the discovery of a substantial amount of circumstantial evidence leading to the conclusion that the Lyme germ is a genetically engineered pathogen designed and created in government operated biological research laboratories to serve as a biological warfare weapon. Mr. Roberts felt that the amount of credible evidence was so overwhelming that, as in the case of the Tuskegee Syphilis experiments, a congressional investigation into the activities of America’s bio-labs, and the PlumIsland facility in particular was justified.

The Poison Plum, first published in 2006, was written in an attempt at igniting a groundswell of understanding and exposure that would eventually result in the creation of a major motion picture based on The Poison Plum, which would take the Lyme Disease message to millions of Americans. From the resulting outpouring of public sentiment and rage, would come the demand for congressional investigations of the bio-labs. Mr. Roberts believes that once culpability is established, public disclosure of the laboratories’ research records would reveal the Lyme germ’s unique genetic characteristics which could lead to the development of a long awaited cure. Additionally, the established precedent of providing government financial compensation to the survivors of the Tuskegee Syphilis experiments could possibly also apply to the long suffering victims of Lyme Disease. The implications for the many thousands of Lyme victims that have been financially devastated as a result of their illness are enormous.