Retired Air Force Col. Nicole Malachowski recalls the terror of being in the cockpit of her F-15E Strike Eagle during a training mission and experiencing a wave of brain fog that left her temporarily unable to locate the radio switch — on a control panel she’d been using for 15 years — to answer a call from air traffic control.

It was one of more than five dozen symptoms, ranging from neurological issues to night sweats, that would emerge in 2012 and 2013, halting her flying career and nearly ending her life. It would take years, and appeals to medical providers outside the military, for Malachowski to receive a diagnosis. She had a tick-borne illness — five of them, actually, including Lyme disease. She’d finish her career, which had included making history as the first woman to fly with

See Full Page