Amanda Allen Hall sprays herself with tick repellent as the current of Lake Murphysboro flows behind her April 4, 2026 at Lake Murphysboro State Park in Murphysboro, Illinois. Due to her Alpha-gal Syndrome, she takes extra caution when participating in outside activities to prevent another tick bite.
A Lone Star tick crawls on SIU zoology professor Agustín Jiménez’s hand April 13, 2026 in Thompson Woods in Carbondale, Illinois. A study done by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that the Lone Star tick is the most common tick in Southern Illinois. They also found that Illinois ranks among the top 13 states with rising cases of Alpha-gal Syndrome from Lone Star ticks.
Amanda Allen Hall strokes her hair as she and her husband drive to the store March 19, 2026 in Carbondale, Illinois. Due to her Alpha-gal Syndrome, she has to buy food that doesn’t contain any mammal products, which can lead to groceries costing more.
Amanda Allen Hall (left) and her husband, John Hall (right), shop for food at the store March 19, 2026 at the Carbondale Kroger in Carbondale, Illinois. Alpha-gal restricts her diet, and because of that, she has to shop in a certain way. “That’s what nobody tells you about it, that it will change the way you eat, you know, you’ve got to give up comfort foods. And if you don’t give them up, you have to figure out different ways of cooking them,” She said.
Amanda Allen Hall (left) and her husband, John Hall (right), pack up their truck after shopping for food March 19, 2026 at the Carbondale Kroger in Carbondale, Illinois. The bins prevent the groceries from falling out of the back of the truck when driving.
Amanda Allen Hall sprays her clothes with permethrin to protect her against ticks April 3, 2026 at Lake Murphysboro State Park in Murphysboro, Illinois. Permethrin is used on fabrics to repel and kill ticks, but it isn’t used on skin due to irritation it may cause.
The sun sets over Lake Murphysboro April 3, 2026 at Lake Murphysboro State Park in Murphysboro, Illinois. Despite Hall’s Alpha-gal diagnosis, she still enjoys hiking and being out in nature.
A sign made by the CDC hangs on a wooden board with information about how to prevent tick bites while hiking April 14, 2026 at Giant City State Park in Makanda, Illinois.
Agustín Jiménez, SIU Zoology professor, holds up a test tube of ticks April 14, 2026 in Thompson Woods in Carbondale, Illinois. Jiménez and two students dragged a white flag in the woods, stopping every few meters to inspect for ticks. In total, they covered around 250 meters of Thompson Woods.
Agustín Jiménez leans down to put a tick into a test tube a student is holding April 14, 2026 in Thompson Woods in Carbondale, Illinois.
SIU student Abbie Heinemeier holds up a test tube with a tick in it while performing a tick drag April 14, 2026 in Thompson Woods in Carbondale, Illinois. Ethanol is used to preserve the tick for DNA testing and other research purposes.
Agustín Jiménez uses two lab utensils to inspect the ticks they found under a microscope April 14, 2026, at the Life Science 2 building in Carbondale, Illinois.
Amanda Allen Hall poses for a portrait while talking about how Alpha-gal has changed her life in more ways than losing the ability to eat meat April 14, 2026 at Giant City State Park in Makanda, Illinois. “It would be so much easier if it were like ‘don’t eat pork, don’t eat beef,’ but it’s don’t eat pork, don’t eat beef, don’t use lotician with mammal in it, and don’t take medicine with mammal in it,” She said.
