‘I have never been so sick in my entire life’ Nebraska woman recovering from rare tick-borne illness

‘I have never been so sick in my entire life’ Nebraska woman recovering from rare tick-borne illness LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Robin Pollak walks outside every day with her dogs, but since getting sick with a tick-borne illness, she’s hesitant. “I’m nervous about my dogs coming in,” Pollak said. She was diagnosed with Ehrlichia, which is transmitted by ticks. However, it took three weeks and three trips to the emergency room in April for doctors to figure out what was going on. Her doctors believed her symptoms of high fevers and sweating came from a kidney stone. However, she knew that wasn’t the case. “I called the doctor and I said there is something else going on, it’s not the kidney,” Pollak said. Pollak wasn’t able to drive or do her usual chores around the house for most of April. After several tests, there was no answer on why she was feeling sick. “They were going to test me for cancer which that scared me quite a bit,” Pollak said. “They also said with this type of infection that it could be something in the body that is dying.” Fighting an illness that left her feeling weak. “I just slept the whole entire time or I would get up and I would just be so depressed because you feel so bad because you don’t know what to do,” Pollak said. Pollak doesn’t know when the disease was transmitted but believes it could have been from walking her dogs outside. Doctors were able to diagnose her with Ehrlichia, which CHI Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Renuga Vivekanandan said is rare in Nebraska. “We had about 25 cases. Lyme cases in 2025, we had about seven reported cases, and Ehrlichia about 18 reported cases,” Dr. Vivekanandan said. “It is there in Nebraska, but not as high as you expect in many other states.” Now, Pollak is planning to go to work soon, bringing a whole new perspective on life. “You’re more appreciative of life itself because I have never been so sick in my entire life.” Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox. Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.