A t the Celebration of Life for Lyme Disease Association President Patricia Smith, family members and colleagues memorialized her many accomplishments. What follows are excerpts of three eulogies given by therapist Sandy Berenbaum, Dr. Brian Fallon, and Dr. Elizabeth Maloney.
Sandy Berenbaum
a long-time member of the LDA Affiliates Network
When I learned that Pat was gravely ill, I first thought of my loss – my friend, my mentor, my leader. Then I thought of Pat’s many accomplishments, including the creation of the LDA Affiliates Network (LDANet), giving the leaders the opportunity to get to know one another, and learn what the other groups were doing.
Then, I reached out to other people who had worked with Pat, and they shared their thoughts about Pat’s many accomplishments.
Dr. Joe Burrascano remembered Pat’s fight against the egregious two-tier testing protocols, defined at the Dearborn conference, that didn’t provide an adequate picture of what was and was not Lyme. Going forward, when co-infections became known, those same people completely ignored the new discoveries.
Lia McCabe of New York: “Pat was the heart of the LDA, bringing us together with her unwavering passion and pursuit of what is right and just. Despite most of us battling Lyme, she patiently accommodated our limitations, enabling us to contribute to numerous impactful projects, conferences, and website upgrades. Her leadership, friendship, and legacy will continue to guide and inspire us all.”
Maggie Schaefer of Connecticut pointed out the phenomenal guidance Pat had given to advocates as they fought to get the right kind of Lyme legislation passed in their states.
Julie Marolla of Rhode Island: “Without Pat’s help, the Lyme legislation that was passed in Rhode Island would not have happened. Additionally, without Pat’s guidance, my son would have died from Lyme and co-infections. I am forever grateful for her help.”
Lorraine Johnson, CEO of LymeDisease.org: “Pat Smith was a mentor, a friend, and a fierce advocate. There was no one better to have at your side when the stakes were high. Her fearlessness was contagious, infectious, and a marvel to see. I will miss her dearly.”
Dorothy Leland, President of Lymedisease.org: “Pat was largely responsible for getting the federal Tick-borne Disease Working Group created in the first place–and then she served on it for four years. During the whole process, she fought like a bulldog for the benefit of Lyme patients. Some members of the panel tried to unfairly scuttle her proposals. But she not only knew her Lyme stuff, she knew her Robert’s Rules of Order stuff, as well as the officials rules which governed the Working Group. When certain factions tried to do an end-run around the rules, she called them out on it and ultimately prevailed. It was a remarkable accomplishment.”
Monica White, Colorado: “Pat was an incredible mentor and friend. She was the catalyst that brought together advocates from across the country to collaborate and support each other as part of the LDAnet. She wanted all of us to succeed in our shared mission.”
Harvey Kliman, of Pennsylvania, noted that Pat was instrumental in getting out “The Basics,” the wonderful booklet that many of us hand out to newcomers to Lyme, now in its 7th edition. He said: “Pat inspired us whenever we worked collaboratively with her on projects.”
I mourn the loss of my dear friend Pat Smith.
I mourn the loss of her excellent conferences.
I mourn the loss of the LDA Affiliate Network, led by Pat.
Most of all, I deeply mourn the loss of Pat Smith’s time on this earth, and all of the things she could have accomplished had she had more time.
The question we need to ask ourselves is “How do we keep Pat’s work, Pat’s legacy, going?” My hope is that we can each play a part in keeping Pat’s work alive.
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