Our platform was inspired by a health crisis that almost took the life of Julian Astudillo, the founder of Above Action.

In May 2021, while living in New York City, Julian woke up one day to strange symptoms. Head pain, confusion, lethargy, depression, and arm numbness. These symptoms rapidly progressed, leading to 8 emergency room visits in less than 7 days. Doctors had no clue what was going on, other than a UTI with an initially ‘unidentifiable’ bacterium. Julian faced medical gaslighting, and was almost left for dead. He had to travel home to stay with his mother where he fought tirelessly for proper investigation for 3 months. His symptoms progressed into neurological.

Not long after arriving home, he came into contact with a doctor who suspected he had Lyme disease based on his symptoms. He was able to meet with this doctor very quickly to get a proper test, which came back positive for 6 different strains of Borrelia, and co-infections Bartonella Quintana and Anaplasma 3 weeks later.

He began treatment immediately. It took around 2 years to begin feeling enough improvement to where he could start to manage the condition. He is committed to spreading awareness about Lyme disease, as well as fighting for improvement in our healthcare/medical systems, within our congressional structure, and beyond.