Coping with rare illness extends well beyond dinner table

A simple meal can be a foreboding experience for those with alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne condition that can restrict the food they eat and products they use.

For Dorothy Sparks, a slice of cheese, a body lotion or even a hair appointment all carry life-threatening risks since her diagnosis of alpha-gal in July 2023.

Sparks, executive director of Hope Unlimited in Iola, was diagnosed after a persistent rash, exhaustion and stomach pain led her to seek medical care. Three years later, Sparks is still learning to navigate the condition.

And she is far from the only person in southeast Kansas facing those challenges.

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