MARCH 2017 24 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM {fashion in the philanthropy lane} GIVING IN STYLE Fashion has been a constant theme throughout my career, a place where giving back has been met with style and grace. Whether producing charity events, such as Arizona Humane Society’s Compassion with Fashion or being recognized for my own trendsetting attire, fashion has been my passion. It is woven into my love for charity and community. So when the opportunity arose to be part of the new Frontdoors Media as a society and fashion contributor, I saw it as a chance to tap into my two favorite arenas while visiting my roots in publishing. My first post-college job was as a founder of the weekly publication College Times. And while I moved my career over to non-profit and corporate responsibility a few years later, I recognized that philanthropy, media and fashion could have a happy, seamless union. BITTEN BUT NOT SHY When it was announced that fashion royalty Ally Hilfiger, daughter of fashion scion Tommy Hilfiger, was coming to the Valley to share her story about living with Lyme disease, I knew this had to be the focus of my first Frontdoors column. Ally’s book, “Bite Me: How Lyme Disease Stole My Childhood, Made Me Crazy And Almost Killed Me,” chronicles her agonizing experiences with the debilitating illness. Having suffered for 14 years prior to proper Lyme detection, she learned firsthand how critical diagnosis and treatment are for those who struggle with this disease. Ally’s visit to Arizona had a simple mission: to increase awareness about the disease and push for better testing for those affected. In my exclusive interview with Ally, we dove deeper into her perspective on Lyme disease. She has come a long way. Her father institutionalized her during the darkest days of her illness. Now he is her biggest advocate and extremely proud of her and the work she does to help spread awareness about Lyme disease. I met up with Ally at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn, where she was speaking at the Focus on Lyme conference and Wave of Change Gala. It was cool to see up close her keen sense of style as she strutted in to the room wearing an in vogue pair of Givenchy booties and a Stella McCartney dress. What follows is a condensed version of our interview: FD: What do you think is the one thing that's most needed in the fight against Lyme disease right now? Ally: The one thing most needed is more research. It’s all about the science. We can educate people and talk about how it affects you and what happened, but at the end of the day it is all about science and if there isn’t an accurate way to test then what is the point of finding out if you have Lyme disease? EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Ally Hilfiger Tyler Butler | SOCIETY AND FASHION WRITER

MARCH 2017 FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM | 25 FD: What inspired you to share your story at this event? Ally: I met Tammy Crawford (executive director of Focus On Lyme) at the mindbodygreen conference. She and I really got along and I loved that she was really trying to get everybody under one roof to make a difference and try to come up with a more accurate way to diagnose and test for this disease. I feel very passionately about this as I believe in looking ahead to the future and not being bitter about the past. So I think the best revenge is really being bold and honest and controversial and this was a safe environment to do so. FD: When you mention being controversial, how does that relate for you in gaining mainstream attention for this disease? Ally: I think it is scary for public figures to talk about a disease that is so debated or politically opposed. It’s really unfortunate that the government and CDC have been so unsupportive of the truth about this disease and what people go through and the lack of advancements in science. FD: So then how do you think we can get more people to be more aware of it? Ally: I see an opportunity to make people more aware of this disease through fashion and through bringing some glamour to the cause. Think of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll and how by bringing people who are in the limelight in the entertainment business, fashion world and music industry comfortably forward so that they feel safe enough to share their story and how this will bring more awareness to the cause. It takes a lot of vulnerability to share something so personal and people get scared to be open to scrutiny and judgment, but I don’t care because I am just being honest and hopefully it will help people out there who are listening. Photo credit: Felice+Whitney Agency