Melanie Reber
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posted
Hi Betty,
You are correct in that I do not have Lois on the Memorial site. It could possibly be listed here though, I would have to go through each page to know for certain.
Sometimes, Sarah or others will list here a 'possible' lyme fatality, that I don't list on the Memorial site until it can be verified.
Once you hear back from her husband, please do post your information so Lois can be remembered.
Thanks, M
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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Melanie Reber
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3707
posted
seibertneurolyme Frequent Contributor Member # 6416
posted 25 June, 2008 02:41 PM
...
Ethan Robinson, 17, North Carolina
NEWS 13 TOP STORIES
Mitchell County Teen Dies From Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (06/20/08)
The Mitchell Community of Estatoe is mourning the loss of a teenager who died of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
17 year old Ethan Robinson died Sunday June 15th.
The family says the illness spread quickly after they took him to the emergency room on Friday the 13th. He was given antibiotics and sent home. On Saturday, Ethan complained of pain, a sore throat and severe rash.
His family says they believe doctors did all they could to save their son.
Philip A. Bresten, of Nantucket and Lynn, died August 3, 1998 at Massachusetts General Hospital from Babesiosis. He was 39.
He was born in Lynn, the son of Louis and Margaret (Gardner) Bresten, both of Lynn. He was raised in Lynn and graduated from Lynn Vocational Technical School in 1976.
He has lived on Nantucket for the past 13 years, working as a master plumber. He was an avid sports fan and enjoyed fishing and playing darts.
Mr. Bresten is survived by his parents; two brothers, Paul of Reading and Robert of Wareham; a sister, Elizabeth Bresten of Lynn; four uncles, Richard Gardner of Lynn, Arthur Gardner of Lynn, Robert Briestensky of New Kensington, Pa and Philip Gardner of Las Vega;
and three aunts, Jean Dube of Maine, Kathleen Murphy of Oriental, N.C., and Josephine Warych of Gipsonia, Pa. He is also survived by several cousins.
A funeral service will be held on at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8 at Solimine, Landergan & Rhodes Funeral Home, 426, Broadway in Lynn, followed by a funeral Mass in the Sacred Heart Church at 9 a.m. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery in Lynn. Visiting hours are Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Wrongful Death . Misdiagnosis Of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
. Confidential Settlement
Brief statement of claim: Thomas Collins, age 19, was married to Sonya Collins for four months. He was a resident of Macon County, lived in a rural area, and was employed by a fence company installing security fences outdoors.
In late April, Mr. Collins became ill with a severe headache and fever. On the second and third days of his illness, when he had a severe headache and myalgias, he went to the emergency department at Angel Hospital in Franklin and was treated, improved and released.
During his second emergency room visit, on the third day of his illness, he was noted as having red spots on his arms, hands and body.
On the fifth day of his illness, and third emergency department visit, he was seen by Dr. Jimmy Lee Rodden at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Dr. Rodden thought Collins had a viral illness or a flare-up of his hepatitis B.
By this time, although Collins' white blood cell count remained normal, his band count . the percentage of immature white blood cells that are released to fight acute infection . had risen over this four-day period from 10 percent on his first visit to 57 percent on his second, and was now 73 percent. Additionally, Collins' platelet count had dropped over the four days from 225,000 to 140,000 to 54,600.
Although he had never before seen a band count of 73 percent, Dr. Rodden was unaware that it almost certainly indicated a bacterial, not viral, infection, and that the 75 percent drop in Collins' platelet count over the four days was inconsistent with a flare-up of chronic hepatitis B.
Dr.Rodden did not know that a person could get Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in late April in the mountains of North Carolina, and did not include it in his differential diagnosis, according to the plaintiff's counsel.
Dr. Rodden provided Collins with 400 mg of Motrin in the emergency department, a prescription for Phenergan, instructions to follow up with a gastroenterologist the following week, and released him.
The following night, Collins returned to the emergency department at Angel Medical Center, where he began seizing, and was provided Doxycycline for suspected Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. He was transferred to Memorial Mission Hospital where he died four days later.
The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta later confirmed that he died of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
Principal injuries (in order of severity): Death of 19-year-old male, Thomas Collins, who had been married for four months to Sonya Collins. The couple had dated for 17 months before the marriage.
Special damages: Medical expenses after discharge by Dr. Rodden until death: $38,165; funeral expenses: $5,787; lost earnings: between January 1997 and April 22, 1997, Mr. Collins earned $3,160 with Franklin Fence; lost earnings to work life expectancy: $381,127; loss of services: based on 19 hours per week at $6.50 per hour and involved chopping wood for heat, car maintenance, house maintenance .$462,653
Tried or settled: Bifurcated trial; confidential settlement after defendant found liable
Date concluded: Tried July 31 to Aug. 6, 2001; confidential settlement with Dr. Rodden on Aug. 6, 2001 after jury found his negligence proximately caused the decedent's death
Other useful info: The plaintiff contended that Dr. Rodden should have known that a person could get the disease in late April in the mountains of North Carolina, should have included it in his differential diagnosis, and should have treated him with doxycycline. The plaintiff also contended that Dr. Rodden should have recognized how sick Collins was and admitted him to the hospital.
Before trial, the plaintiff resolved her claims against the doctor who saw Collins on his second visit to Angel. Dr. Rodden, the remaining defendant, withdrew his consent to settle during trial.
Judge Payne from Asheville presided over the trial and bifurcated liability and damages. After the jury returned a "yes" on liability, the parties reached a confidential settlement with Dr. Rodden.
The verdict is believed to be the first medical malpractice jury verdict in Jackson County, according to the plaintiff's counsel.
I thought this was especially interesting because I am sure many of you have heard that you got sick at the wrong time of the year. Hubby had an infectious disease neurologist give a written list of half a dozen reasons why he could not have Lyme disease. One reason was because he got sick at the wrong time of the year.
The other critical point is that the longer the time delay in treating RMSF the worse the potential outcome.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Cailean Walker Sheeran, student, talented musician, proud American and beloved family member, passed away on May 12, 2004. He is survived by his father John, mother Maureen, sisters Brittany and Mariel, nephew Dexter and dog Emma.
He is further survived by his grandmothers Marie Miller and Jean Sheeran; aunts Claire Levin, Bernadette Miller, Carol Miller, Dolores Norton and Patricia Sheeran; uncles Dale Levin, Richard Miller and Peter Sheeran; cousins John Levin, Jennifer Miller, Pete Sheeran, Rebecca Stokes and Willem Van Bergen.
He is preceded in death by his two grandfathers, Richard V. Miller and John D. Sheeran Sr. He also left behind many wonderful friends. Cailean would have been eighteen on June 20th and intended to graduate from James I. O?Neill High School in Highland Falls, NY and to continue his education in Boston, MA.
He was born in Manhattan and lived his early years in Jeffersonville, NY until he moved to Garrision, NY at the age of five. Through the years, Cailean adopted many nicknames including KK, Buddy, Cato and KayMan.
Cailean had many interests including playing tennis and basketball and faithfully rooting for the Boston Celtics. His greatest pleasure and the interest that he took so much pride in, was his love of the guitar and song writing.
He also enjoyed listening to music and attending concerts. Some of his favorite bands and artists included Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay and Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing.
If you wish you can make a donation in Cailean?s memory to one of the following:
1) Neurological Lyme Disease Research: please mail to: NYS Psychiatric Institute c/o Dr. Brian Fallon 1051 Riverside Drive Unit 69 New York, NY 10032.
The check should be made out to the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene. In the lower left hand corner of the check, please indicate that the proceeds should be used for Neurological Lyme Disease research
2)Young Concert Artists Inc., an organization dedicated to discovering and launching the careers of extraordinary young musicians. For more information, please visit
Cailean was a loving, caring person with a contagious, mischievous smile and quirky sense of humor who will be missed tremendously. We ask that everyone that knew Cailean remember him fondly and smile when they think of ?Our Buddy? ? a unique and thoughtful young man. He was the best. ------------------------------------------------------- This is an email I sent out today to a bunch of Lymes Groups I had subscribed to
Hi, My name is Mariel and I\'ve been a member of the yahoogroup for Lyme a little longer than a year now.
I\'ve never sent out a message, but I would read all of yours and try to learn a little more about Lymes and its affect on its victims.
My 17 year old brother Cailean Sheeran killed himself last Wednesday. He was struggling with neuropsychiatric Lymes for a long time. Last Monday he also found out he two other tick-bourne diseases in his system. He had just put back on high dose antibiotics a few weeks ago.
I write to all of you to ask that you take care of yourselves. Cailean was delusional, paranoid, and felt alone. None of you are alone in your fight, and I understand that sometimes it really can feel that way.
This is a frustrating disease; Cailean was put on and taken off antibiotics and the diagnosis was being thrown around all over the place. Reading yourstories I\'ve heard that many of your expeirences are similar.
On Cailean\'s behalf, all of our friends and family are making donations to Dr. Fallon\'s Neurological Lymes Research as well as another charity, Young Concert Artists, Inc because Cailean was an amazing guitar player.
I\'ve put together a tribute page for my brother, so if any of you would like to get to know him here is the link.
Born in Rockwood, Tennessee on Jun. 25, 1973 Departed on Mar. 8, 2008 and resided in Oak Ridge, TN.
Cemetery: Oak Ridge Memorial Park
Meredith Ruth Roberts, 34, of Oak Ridge, passed away on March 8, 2008. She was born on June 25, 1973 in Rockwood, Tennessee to parents William Joseph Roberts and Brenda Helen Meredith Roberts.
Meredith was a registered nurse, but has been battling Lyme Disease for the past 8 years and unable to work.
She graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1991, graduated from Simmons College in Boston Massachusetts and was accepted at NYU Nurse Practioners School.
Her survivors include: William J. Roberts, father; Amy E. Roberts, sister; Barbara Sands, aunt; Bliss Gonzalez, cousin & nurse; Betty Brooks, aunt; Marilyn Bartlett, aunt; Ted Meredith, uncle; Billy Boyd, cousin; Jay Brooks, cousin; Drew Meredith, cousin, and Seth Meredith, cousin.
A private graveside service will be held on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 10 AM at Oak Ridge Memorial Park. The family requests that memorials be in the form of donations to Lyme Disease Research Efforts at
Passion. It's what makes most of HighEnd audio tick. In the Hollywood flick Serendipity, the hero's best man and comic relief writes the obituary column for the NY Times.
In a memorable address to his bumbling leading man friend, he claims that the Greeks didn't have obituaries. All they wanted to know when a man died was whether he'd lived with passion.
If so, he had done well and was worth remembering and celebrating. Otherwise, he didn't merit a speech, just the shovel and the dirt.
Even if that's pure Hollywood mystique, it should be true. Hell, even in criminal court, a crime of passion is regarded somewhat differently than cold-blooded murder.
When passion goes wrong, we still sympathize with it as though it were motivated by higher reason than - well, mere calculation and scheming. Passion. It's the glue that holds things together when they want to fall apart.
Terry Cain of Cain & Cain loudspeakers recently passed away after battling a debilitating combination of Lyme and Lou Gehrig disease.
He even knew when he'd contracted Lyme. He'd been on his way to a show and had pulled over on the side of a road for a break. Taking his socks off, he'd walked around the grass, stretched out and had a sandwich and a nap.
Then he got tweaked by a tick, unscrewed its little head and went to the show thinking no more of it. The spot discolored a week later and less than two years later, it's the shovel and the dirt. It can be the smallest of things.
Here in Cyprus, this year's rainy season was uncommonly ferocious. On a coastal road nearby where I drive to the grocery store every week, a retainer broke and a massive flash flood emptied down the hill on its way to the sea like an avalanche.
While crossing the road, it wiped out a 4x4 that just happened to synchronize going into that bend at the precise moment. It got taken aloft and thrown down a cliff. A helicopter was looking for days to find the body of the man.
His wife had drowned strapped in the car. You're driving down a road minding your own business. Then your time's up and a freak flash flood takes your life. Passion. Without it, you're just marking time.
I didn't know Terry Cain very well but had met him at numerous shows. From all accounts of those who remember him, he was fiercely driven by passion.
If we were ancient Greeks and not 21st century creatures glued to the telly, we'd applaud him loudly for having lived a meaningful and memorable life.
His creations survive him outside his circle of friends and family, by how much joy and pleasure they give to their owners. If we could all live lives that didn't end in mere disappearance but continued on in a similar fashion to Terry's, the world would be a better place.
Would that we'd all be so lucky as to discover what we're truly passionate about. That we'd have the courage to build our lives around that and not security and convenience and comfort.
And that we'd employ the discipline and commitment necessary to mine our passion as deeply as possible and burn our candle from both ends.
It surely is true that we've all been given gifts and talents. Once we step into them, we get empowered. Something greater than us gets activated and expressed.
Passion is the key to unlock that mystery and a memorable and creative life becomes the outcome. Memorable in the ancient Greek and serendipitous sense of the word.
To hell with fame and fortune - though in appropriate ways, they often do follow passion, eventually. Saludos to Terry Cain for reminding us how all of that is done in style...
PS: Our Terry Cain Memorial Fund is ongoing to help Terry's widow Leslie cope with his medical and funeral expenses. Many many people have contributed gear to sell and agreed to leave it up on our list to benefit Leslie in the current circumstance.
However, we won't leave this page up indefinitely. Once the family informs us of its needs and wishes, the offer could go away overnight. At best, it'll stay up until the end of January. If you're inclined to help, don't wait. Act now. It really is for a good cause. Passion does come in many forms.
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Frank Battisti, 72, Federal Judge Presiding Over Demjanjuk Case
By WOLFGANG SAXON
Published: October 21, 1994
Frank Joseph Battisti, the Federal judge who presided over several important cases in Cleveland, including the deportation of John Demjanjuk, died on Wednesday at the Cleveland Clinic. He was 72 and lived in Cleveland.
The cause was typhus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, said Faye Kaufman, his secretary at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Among the nationally prominent cases before Judge Battisti were that of Mr. Demjanjuk, the automobile worker accused of war crimes in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe and stripped of his American citizenship, and the 1974 trial of eight members of the Ohio National
Guard accused of violating the civil rights of four students shot dead at Kent State University in 1970. He also gained national attention in 1976 for ordering the Cleveland school district to start busing students to achieve racial integration.
In the 1980's, Judge Battisti was at the center of a power struggle that pitted him against nine colleagues on the 11-member court in Cleveland. The nine had set up a system in which the majority decided court policy in May 1985, but Judge Battisti conceded that he ignored it on the ground that "the chief judge must make the decisions."
The matter went to a panel of Federal appellate judges, which found in September that he had indeed assumed too much power and ordered him to share it with his peers.
Judge Battisti was appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 at the age of 38, which made him the youngest Federal judge in the country at the time. He was chief judge in Cleveland from 1969 to 1990 and became a senior judge of the court in April.
Ms. Kaufman said he stepped down as chief judge because he resented sentencing guidelines set by Congress and argued that judges should have leeway when passing sentence.
At his death, scores of cases remained on his docket, including a rehearing of the Demjanjuk case ordered by the United States Supreme Court; Mr. Demjanjuk, whose conviction on charges of war crimes was overturned by an Israeli court, is seeking to regain his American citizenship.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Judge Battisti graduated from Ohio University and Harvard University Law School. He was in private practice and taught at Youngstown University Law School in the 1950's and was elected a Common Pleas judge in 1958.
As chief judge, he was regarded as one of the most powerful men in Cleveland, particularly after 1976 when he ordered the integration of the city's school system. He found the system deliberately segregated and prescribed crosstown busing as the remedy.
The Kent State case came to an abrupt halt when he dismissed it on the ground that Government prosecutors had failed to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that the guardsmen had willfully intended to deprive the students of their rights. The students were slain during a campus demonstration against American military involvement in Indochina.
Judge Battisti is survived by his wife of 31 years, Gloria Karpinski Battisti; his brother, Leo, of Florida; and his sisters, Lillian and Jeanne Battisti, both of Cleveland. -------------------------------------------------
Found another reference from 10/7 which stated that he was being treated at the CLeveland Clinic for a tickbite received while fishing in Montana. Actual cause of death reported elsewhere was Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome -- a complication of either typhus or RMSP.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Just posted on the Philadelphia Ceili Group Membership list:
Kathleen Gambon Erdei passed away Tuesday evening, July 31, after a two-week battle with what was diagnosed "raging cancer" at the Central Montgomery Medical Center in Lansdale, one month shy of her 72nd birthday. She had come down with Lyme disease two years earlier, and her system suffered greatly as a result.
Beloved in Philadelphia's Irish-American community for her work toward peace in Northern Ireland since the 1970s, Kathleen turned on two generations of young folks to the music of Ireland, and often partied with people a third her age in places like Fergie's or The Plough and the Stars. Her friend and Oak Lane neighbor Maryanne Devine said, "With the British troops beginning to leave Northern Ireland right now, Kathleen's work here is done."
Before his own death, Philadelphia Daily News columnist Jack McKinney once said of Kathleen, "Spending an afternoon with her is like stepping into a James Joyce novel - fascinating, deep, and layered with complicated characters".
Raised on farmland in Camden County, NJ, Kathleen attended Camden Catholic High School, then explored California and the West Coast as a young woman, before settling down to raise a family in the 1960s.
A former parishioner of St. Genevieve's Parish in Flourtown, PA,Kathleen's home there overlooked the sheep farm of Fitz Eugene Dixon.
She was a devout Catholic who never toed the party line, which was manifested in her many demonstrations against the Vietnam War, protests for clean air, water and lower utility fees for poor and working people, for peace in Northern Ireland, and against the closing of poor parishes in Philadelphia.
She once participated in a public rite of exorcism in front of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul to root out, she said, "the corrupt practices of the Archdiocese's policy regarding those parish closings."
But her public persona belied her gentle touch with everyone she met. In her neighborhood of Philly's Oak Lane, to which she moved in the 1980s, she helped organize neighbors in their Arbor Day celebrations and tree-plantings.
She gathered local children to treat them to outings they might not otherwise afford, she volunteered at radio station WXPN, and was an exceptional afficionado of culture and literature.
"Kathleen knew the lyrics to 100-year old operettas, to songs of the Great Depression, folk tunes from here to Europe and South Africa. Her mind was all-encompassing, and she never stopped learning. And as big as her brain was, her heart was even bigger. She read several newspapers daily, and listened to people with their problems the whole world over, whether face-to-face, on the BBC or NPR", said close friend Marybeth Phillips.
For the past dozen years, Kathleen lived in Center City Philadelphia (Wash-West), and rode a bike all over town while working for PennPIRG, the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group. With them, she found a career already in line with her causes, and fought hard from Philly's City Council to Harrisburg to D.C.
She often had her bicycle stolen when she parked it at a trainstation, but taking a Zen approach to everything, refused to worry.She would find it on another occasion and steal it back.
She was an avid urban gardener, planting in every inch of soil she could find on Lombard or South Streets, and once turned down a week's vacation in Florida so as "not to miss anything that begins to bud in Philly".
In addition to PennPIRG, Kathleen also worked for the DominicanSisters in Elkins Park, helping sick nuns recover or pass through to the next life, at St. Katherine's Hall.
Ms. Erdei is survived by her former husband Abdon Erdei, daughter Stephanie Scintilla, and sons A. Andrew, Daniel, and James, and her first grandchild, Daphne Erdei.
In her always-altruistic fashion, Kathleen donated her body toJefferson Medical College. A memorial service is scheduled for her at The Irish Center/Commodore Barry Club, Carpenter Lane and Emlen Streets, Philadelphia, on Saturday, September 15, at 5 p.m.
Donations in her memory may be sent to the non-profit Heart of Camden Housing Corporation, Broadway and Ferry, Camden, NJ 08104.
For more information, please call daughter Stephanie Erdei Scintilla at 215-350-5412, or Marybeth Phillips at 610-436-4134.
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Melanie Reber
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Three more die from tick bites Wednesday, July 9, 2008
BURSA (Turkey) - Doğan News Agency
Three people were pronounced dead at hospitals Monday in the provinces of Bursa, �anakkale and Samsun, taking the death toll from tick bites to 37 in the past two months.
According to Doğan news agency, Mustafa Kayrı from the western province of Bursa went camping 10 days ago and was bitten by a tick. He was hospitalized and diagnosed with the deadly Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, or CCHF, and moved to the intensive care unit.
In the western province of �anakkale, İbrahim G�ven died in hospital after being treated for suspected CCHF infection. He had told relatives that he had seen a tick on his body. He was buried in a zinc casket with lime spread over the grave as a precaution. Another person had died from CCHF in the same province last month.
Another man, Cafer Sağlam, died from CCHF Monday in the northern province of Samsun after he was bitten by a tick and removed it with his hand.
The Health Ministry also issued a statement to warn people against tick bite cases. In case of a tick bite the skin should be covered with the proper medicine. The tick should be removed by doctors using tweezers with great care and iodine should be applied to the bite. Health Ministry officials said ticks should never be killed by hand.
Moreover, those people, touched by any tick, should be kept under medical observation for 10 days, and go to the nearest hospital if they have symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, officials from the Health Ministry said.
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever mainly affects animals. Ticks, which live on sheep and cattle, can sometimes pass the virus to people.
It is an Ebola-like fever where patients can bleed to death if they are not treated quickly. Those infected can transmit the virus through their blood or saliva. The disease is endemic in parts of Africa, Asia and Europe. Health authorities said a warmer climate, which Turkey has experienced in recent years, could mean a larger tick population that could in turn infect more people with the disease.
Melanie Reber
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Donald L. McGee, 40, North Carolina
Donald L. McGee June 20, 1968 - July 25, 2008
Donald L. McGee, 40, of 5819 Rawls Church Road died Friday, July 25, 2008.
Donald was a native of Fuquay-Varina his entire life and was a Nuclear Engineer for Progress Energy for 14 years. Donald was a graduate of Appalachian State and was also a veteran of the United States Navy.
Funeral services will be held Thursday at 2:00 p.m., at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Willow Spring, with Rev. Thomas Westfall and Rev. Warren Bock officiating, Burial services will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Fuquay- Varina.
Donald is survived by his wife, Lisa Griffin McGee; son, Peyton (age 10); and daughter, Sydney (age 5); mother, Barbara Johnson Porter and husband, Gene of Fuquay-Varina; brother, David McGee and wife, Gina of King, NC; father-in- law, Sammy Griffin and wife, Pat of Fuquay-Varina; mother-in-law, Jane Griffin of Fuquay-Varina; nieces and nephews, Jacob McGee, Casey Booth, Hannah Booth and Dave Wood.
Donald was predeceased by his father, Thomas McGee and nephew, Matthew McGee.
Donald was an active member of New Hope Presbyterian Church and served as an Elder of the church. Donald was a loving husband, father, son, uncle and brother. Donald loved his family and was an inspiration to all who knew him.
A trust fund has been set up for the college fund for Peyton and Sydney McGee. Contributions may be made by contacting Mr. John Adcock, (919) 552-2929, ext. 201 or memorials may be made to the North Carolina Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc., 7405 Louisburg Road, Raleigh, NC 27616.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com Arrangements by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, Angier.
Melanie Reber
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Lida Mattman, 96, Michigan
Lida Mattman: WSU prof was a state Hall of Famer
BY JOE ROSSITER * FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER * August 19, 2008
Lida Mattman, a professor of microbiology at Wayne State University for more than three decades, whose contributions as a researcher and author earned her a spot in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, died Aug. 6 at the Golden Years Retreat in Essexville.
The cause of death was a form of liver failure. She was 96.
Mrs. Mattman was recognized for her work with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Lou Gehrig's disease, scleroderma and Parkinson's. Her book, "Cell Wall Deficient Forms," written in 1974, was regarded as an invaluable education tool among researchers, students and physicians in the field of microbiology.
"Like the ripple effect upon the water, the influence of a great teacher never ceases, and that basically defines the type of positive effect she had upon me and countless other students," said James Gray, a former pupil and current microbiology professor at Wayne County Community College. "If you were willing to be there she would work with you in the lab all night long as an adviser."
Born Lida Holmes in Denver, she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in microbiology and virology respectively from the University of Kansas and a doctorate in immunology from Yale University in 1940.
In addition to doing research at the universities of Iowa and Pennsylvania, she served as director of clinical laboratories for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Commission and was an instructor at the Harvard School of Public Health.
After she married Dr. Paul E. Mattman in 1944, the couple moved to Detroit.
Mrs. Mattman joined the Wayne State faculty in 1949 and is credited with ushering thousands of would-be doctors and nurses into the medical profession. She was awarded the university's President's Award for Outstanding Teaching and Research in 1977. She retired in 1982, and was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2005.
Survivors include a daughter, Sandra Augustine; a son, Dr. Paul H. Mattman, and five grandchildren.
A memorial service is set for 1 p.m. Aug. 31 in the Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, 16 Lakeshore Drive, Grosse Pointe.
Melanie Reber
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Vincent Jachetta, 70, New York
Multidyne Founder Vincent Jachetta Dies at Age 70
9.05.2008 Multidyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems founder Vincent Jachetta died on Sept. 2 at the age of 70 of complications from Lyme disease.
Jachetta's career in broadcasting began in the late 1960s as chief engineer for Lewron, a mobile production company. He also worked for several major networks, including NBC, where he spent most of his career before establishing his own business. Jachetta was a member of the NBC team that produced a number of remote telecasts, including the Miss America Pageant, The Game of The Week in Major League Baseball, NFL games, as well as coverage of presidential conventions and elections.
He left NBC in 1977 to establish Multidyne, offering as his first product a portable test signal and identification generator. During the next three decades, Jachetta made numerous contributions to the broadcast industry in the areas of video transmission and testing. He held several patents, and was recognized for his development of long-haul video transmission equipment and A/V test gear, among other items. His two sons, James and Frank are executives with the company.
``Our father was a friend, colleague and mentor to many people in the broadcast industry,'' said Jim Jachetta, senior vice president of engineering and product development. ``He was very thankful that we all worked in a prosperous industry with such great people and friends. Many former NBC employees followed in his footsteps to form their own companies to serve the broadcast industry. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.''
``My father was very proud that Jim and I are carrying on the MultiDyne tradition. A great void will be left by the loss of our father, friend and mentor'' said Frank Jachetta, senior vice president of sales and operations.
Jachetta made his home in Locust Valley, N.Y.
Survivors also include his widow, Joan. A funeral mass is scheduled this Saturday, Sept. 6, at the St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Glen Cove, N.Y.
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McHoyle's family is a family run funeral business, and does an awesome job!
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lymeloco
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I spelled the name wrong. Sorry
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Melanie Reber
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MaryAnne Charlish, 60, Canada
CHARLISH, MaryAnne (nee Bohaichuk) October 20, 1947 - October 19, 2008 MaryAnne Charlish of Edmonton passed away peacefully with her family by her side at the age of 60 years.
MaryAnne is survived by her mother, Olga Bohaichuk; two sons and one daughter, David (Grace) Berry, Raena (Doug) Williams and Robert Berry; four grandchildren, Elise, Madison, Michael and Evan; three sisters and one brother, Pat Timmins, Janice (Mike) Sabourin, Cheryl (James) Carlson and Terry (Dianne) Bohaichuk; numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives. Predeceased by her father, Peter and sister, Victoria.
Memorial Service Thursday, October 23 at 1:30 p.m. at Park Memorial Chapel, 9709 - 111 Avenue. Cremation has taken place. In lieu of other tributes, donations may be made to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, 2495 Reece Road, Westbank, British Columbia V4T 1N1. To send condolences, visit www.parkmemorial.com Park Memorial Edmonton 780-426-0050 Family Owned Funeral Home, Crematorium, Reception Centre
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Melanie Reber
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Leslie Rea Wermers, 41, Minnesota
Leslie Wermers, age 41, of Hopkins, Minnesota and formerly of Burt died on Sunday, November 2, 2008 at her home. Visitation will be 4:00 - 6:00 pm Friday at the Lentz Funeral Home in Burt. There will be a private celebration of Leslie's life for close friends and family from 6:00 - 7:30 pm Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Burt Township Cemetery at a later date.
Leslie Rae Wermers, the daughter of William and Lee (Sankey) Wermers, was born on July 7, 1967, in Algona, Iowa. She was raised in Burt and graduated from Burt High School in 1985 and Ellsworth Community College in 1987. She received a Mortuary Science Degree from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service and worked as a funeral director in Houston, Texas. She then became a jailor for Crow Wing County and the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department. She was a camp counselor in Brainerd. When her illness became too much, she was a patient advocate and co-founder with her sister, Tracie, of "Minnesota Lymefighter's Advocacy".
Left to cherish her memory is her life partner, Paula Claussen and her daughter Jayde of Hopkins, MN; parents, Bill Wermers of Burt and Lee Sankey of Brainerd, MN; a sister, Tracie Schissel of Brainerd, MN; a brother, Josh Wermers of Brainerd, MN; two nephews, Erik Schissel and Judah Wermers both of Brainer, MN.
[ 19. November 2008, 03:11 PM: Message edited by: Melanie Reber ]
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Melanie Reber
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Manuel P�rez S�nchez, Costa Rica
Worker at Costa Rica hotel site died of tick-borne disease By Devon Magee Special to The Tico Times | [email protected]
GUANACASTE - A Nicaraguan construction worker who died Nov. 6 at a resort construction site on Matapalo Beach in the northwestern province of Guanacaste (Costa Rica) succumbed to a tick-borne infection, health officials said this week.
The death of Manuel P�rez S�nchez, who suffered diarrhea and vomiting, coincided with the illnesses of hundreds of other workers, initially fueling a scare of a large-scale outbreak at the site, possibly caused by the drinking water.
Authorities have since determined that S�nchez died of Ehrlichiosis, a bacterial disease spread by ticks.
On Monday, Health Minister Mar�a Luisa Avila and other government officials, including Nicaraguan Ambassador Harold Rivas, visited the site and found no signs of potable water contamination.
Avila, however, issued sanitary orders to clean up the distribution of food for the workers and to limit the number of workers per dormitory. Most of the construction project's 1,500 workers were crammed into bunks stacked three high up to the dorm room ceilings.
According to the daily La Naci�n, more than 300 of S�nchez's fellow workers visited clinics over the weekend, but most suffered from respiratory infections and showed no symptoms of diarrhea or tick-borne illness.
``It was more collective hysteria than anything else,'' said Enrique Jim�nez, Guanacaste director of the Health Ministry. ``There was no outbreak. This was normal pathology for a (dense) group of 1,500 people.''
Avila requested that a clinic be erected on the construction site, and that a doctor and nurse be present eight hours a day.
The workers are building the 701-room, $125 million Hotel RIU Guanacaste, part of the Spanish hotel chain RIU hotels. The hotel is half complete and on target to be finished by November 2009.
Melanie Reber
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Lori Hall Steele, 44, Michigan
Prolific journalist, Local writer dies at age 44 By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS [email protected] November 20, 2008 10:52 am
-- TRAVERSE CITY -- A local writer whose struggles with a paralyzing neurological condition and subsequent inability to work launched a fund-raising campaign to help save her home has died at the age of 44.
Lori Hall Steele died Wednesday in Howell, after a mystifying illness that was diagnosed as either Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, or Lyme disease.
A self-employed single mother and prolific writer whose nearly 3,000 features, essays and news stories have appeared in print and online publications nationwide, Hall Steele lost feeling in her feet in 2007 and eventually became completely paralyzed. She had been unable to work since mid-March, prompting friends to mobilize to help pay her mortgage and medical bills, which topped $100,000.
Her plight and the chance to help resonated with writers, artists, musicians and other self-employed creative people both in the region and beyond, who raised about $70,000 through grants, a silent auction and an online campaign called savelorishouse.com.
Contributors included online writers groups, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and pop star Ben Lee.
A graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, Hall Steele came to the area as a young reporter from the Albion Recorder. From 1989 through 1993 she was a reporter, columnist and editor at the Record-Eagle, where she covered the cherry industry among other beats.
Early in her career she contributed to a Record-Eagle series on poverty in the region that earned the paper a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award citation for distinguished reporting, alongside such news organizations as The Boston Globe, ABC News and National Public Radio. She also received awards from the Inland Daily Press and the Associated Press.
Former Record-Eagle City Editor Loraine Anderson recalls Hall Steele as a gifted and versatile writer who always searched for creative ways to get and tell a story, and whose sense of humor often showed up in her work.
"She was a great writer, a great researcher and also a really fine editor, and she always worked to tell the story through people," Anderson said. "She had that tenacity you have to have to be a hard news reporter and was very much concerned about First Amendment rights.
"She loved to write, and she loved this work," Anderson added.
Longtime friend Kristen Hains said Hall Steele was curious and passionate about her wide-ranging interests, from gardening to film to the area's history. She was instrumental in helping get the Traverse City Film Festival off the ground as a member of the festival's founding committee, and became a champion of the Grand Traverse Commons redevelopment project after co-writing "The Beauty of Therapy" with Earle Steele, grounds keeper at the former Traverse City State Hospital.
"She had a passion for everything she did, whether it was her writing, her son, her friends or a cause she got behind," Hains said. "If she put herself behind something she put herself behind it 100 percent. I think what made her so special as a writer also made her special as a person, and that is that Lori never stopped asking questions. And she was always looking forward, even when she was struck with this. She never stopped believing that if she acted independently and asked enough questions she could change the outcome."
Hall Steele was instrumental in calling attention to the historic Traverse City State Hospital and the efforts to preserve it as The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, said Mini Minervini of the preservation and redevelopment Minervini Group.
And she involved others in writing about the project too.
"Lori has always been a passionate advocate for the preservation and renovation of Building 50 and the whole complex," Minervini said. "She paid attention to the details. And anything she wrote was always stellar."
After leaving the Record-Eagle, Hall Steele moved on to staff positions with Traverse Magazine and Northern Home and, farther afield, with the Prague Post. Most recently she was a freelance writer and editor who shepherded publications from conception to printing press, edited stories and books including Michael Moore's "Dude, Where's My Country?" and designed newspapers, magazines and books. She was the author of "Sweet and Snappy Cherry Drinks," a small-press selection of the Publishers Marketing Association.
As a freelance writer, she specialized in stories about the home, food, parenting, travel and the environment for publications ranging from the Detroit Free Press, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post to Brides, SmartMoney and Woman's Day. Shortly before she died, she learned that the national magazine Parenting was interested in buying one of her essays.
"It was such a sweet moment," said Hains, also a freelance writer. "I thought, 'You can take away her voice, you can take away her ability to walk, but you can't take away her ability to affect people with her thoughts.'"
Those thoughts reached a discriminating audience in June, when the prestigious Washington Post published one of Hall Steele's essays in which she explored her responsibility to her son, Jackson, 7. Although it was written before she became ill, it proved to be prophetic.
"I tell him I'll always be here for him, one way or another," she wrote. "Always always always. Just like my mother is here for me ... It is an impossible promise, a gamble with his trust. I secretly pray I don't let him down, not on this." Funeral arrangements are pending.
Melanie Reber
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Linda K. Flory, 63, Ohio
Linda Flory was a long-time Lyme disease patient and worked long and hard to help educate people about Lyme disease. She was a board member of the Lyme Disease Association of Ohio and gave her time and energies to many meetings, events and conferences. She will be sadly missed by all who knew her.
FLORY, Linda K. (Jones) Age 63 of Springboro went home on November 18, 2008. She was proceded in death by her son Darin, 3 brothers, 2 sisters and her Mom & Dad.
Survived by her husband Robert Flory, father-in-law Joe Flory, 3 children Tammy (Tim) Garland, Bryan (Jennifer) Long, and Shannon (Jason) Centers, 3 step-children Rob (Peggy) Flory, Robin (Tony) Gearhart, & Andrea Flory, 17 grand-children, 4 great-grandchildren, sister Carol (Doug) Paxton & many nieces and nephews.
She also leaves to mourn many wonderful friends.
Family will receive friends from 4-7PM Friday Nov 21 with services Saturday Nov. 22, 2008 at 10:00 am at the Schlientz and Moore Funeral Home 820 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Schlientz & Moore Funeral Home. Internment will be at the Miami Valley Memory Gardens.
Published in the Dayton Daily News on 11/21/2008
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William Charles Erasmus, 53, Brazil
Brazil identifies disease that killed South African
14 hours ago
RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) -- Brazilian authorities said Monday they have identified a mysterious disease that killed a visiting South African businessman last week as spotted fever, a tick-borne malady.
The diagnosis capped a health scare triggered by the death Tuesday of the 53-year-old man, who is believed to have contracted the illness in his home country.
Initially, it was feared he might have succumbed to an arenavirus, a highly contagious, often deadly group of hemorrhagic diseases endemic to parts of Africa.
One arenavirus was present in a Johannesburg hospital where the man had undergone an October operation, weeks before his arrival in Brazil on November 23. He was admitted to hospital two days later suffering vomiting, rashes and fever.
Medical staff who treated the man in Rio de Janeiro had been put under observation and South African authorities were contacted to help identify the illness.
The body of the man, identified in Brazilian media as William Charles Erasmus, was cremated as a precaution last Thursday by a special decontamination team wearing sealed suits.
Authorities at the health ministry in the state of Rio de Janeiro said tests at a lab specializing in viruses, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, determined the bacteria from its genome contained in blood samples.
"There is no risk of person-to-person infection. The Rickettsia bacteria is only transmitted by ticks," the deputy head of the lab, Ary Carvalho de Miranda, told reporters.
Brazil itself has registered 641 cases of spotted fever in the past decade. The disease is fatal in 30 percent of cases.
Melanie Reber
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Dr. Joseph R. Bellesorte, 63, Pennsylvania
Family-practice physician; Army vet
Dr. Joseph R. Bellesorte, D.O., 63, of Morton, a family-practice physician, died Jan. 16 at Riddle Memorial Hospital.
Born in Philadelphia, Dr. Bellesorte graduated from West Catholic High School for Boys in 1963 and from St. Joseph's College in 1967. In 1976, he received his master's degree from Drexel University's College of Biomedical Engineering. In 1978, he received his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dr. Bellesorte was a family-practice physician in Springfield for most of his career. For 20 years, he was a consulting physician to the Delaware County CFIDS/ME support group.
He was a longtime member of the YMCA Indian Guides and Indian Princesses.
Dr. Bellesorte served in the U.S. Army.
He was son of the late Michael A. and Mary T. Rovito Bellesorte.
Survivors: Wife, Magdalena Colliton Bellesorte; daughter, Marianne Bellesorte of Swarthmore; son, Joseph M. Bellesorte of Prospect Park; one grandson.
Service: Mass, 10 a.m. Wednesday, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 2130 Franklin Ave., Morton.
Visitation: 9-10 a.m. Wednesday at the church.
Burial: Private.
Arrangements: James F. Knoetgen Funeral Home, Morton.
Published in The Delaware County Daily Times Sunday, January 18, 2009 6:30 AM EST
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TerryK
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Dr. JoAnne Whitaker 81, Florida
Dr. Whitaker developed the Q-RIBb (Quantitative Rapid Identification of Borrelia burgdorferi) test.
She was a lyme disease victim from childhood. She was a presenter at a number of lyme conferences. I saw one of her presentations where she had conducted research on lyme and ALS.
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I hope you don't mind, I would like to post this on my myspace....
-------------------- The Bite: July 1995 Next 13 years: Treated for things I didn't have Symptom total: 45 1 faint Lyme IgM May 2000 5 More negative tests IGeneX says YES! 3/16/09 Finally feel human: 2012 Posts: 120 | From Plainsboro NJ | Registered: Feb 2007
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Melanie Reber
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Born 1961 Hay River, Northwest Territories. Died 2009 Colton, Oregon. She grew up and lived in Saanichton and Victoria, and spent 13 years on Gabriola Island, where I met and fell in love with her and coaxed her down to Beaverton and finally Colton, Oregon. She was a flame that burned very brightly and inspired her communities, which included wild animal rescue, middle eastern dance, feline asthma education, Wiccan/pagan advocacy, Lyme Disease advocacy, and the Storm Large ballzboard. She was an artist, musician, dancer, teacher, writer, and leader.
She naturally collaborated with the brightest and the movers and shakers, but made everyone feel heard and included. Her sense of humor constantly surprised and delighted people. She worked so hard to please others often to the detriment of herself. She suffered from Lyme Disease, babesia and erlichiosis, depression, and other conditions and these contributed to her decline and death at age 47.
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Melanie Reber
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Kurt Hilding Billing, 47, New York
Swim instructor Kurt Billing dies at 47 By Brendan O'Reilly
Kurt Hilding Billing, a fixture in Southampton who gave swimming lessons at Big Fresh Pond, Wyandanch Beach and in backyard pools to hundreds--perhaps thousands--of local children over the years, took his own life on February 3 at his home in North Sea. He was 47.
Mr. Billing suffered from Lyme disease for the past 10 years, the symptoms of which include depression and confusion. He had been symptom free for years, but late last fall he had a relapse, his family said.
Born on January 24, 1962, Mr. Billing was known by many as ``Nature,'' a nickname picked up during his high school years that followed him throughout life. He graduated from Southampton High School in 1980 and went on to earn a business degree from the University of Richmond in Virginia.
After college, Mr. Billing spent a couple years traveling the country and did a stint as a computer salesman in Washington. When he returned home to Southampton in 1986, he took over the family swimming instruction business from his sister, Donna Billing, who had taken it over from their mother, Florence, who started it more than 40 years ago. Florence Binning passed the business to her children so she could open four women's clothing stores--Billing's Lingerie Shop, Billing's Country Shop, Billing's Bridal Salon and Lady Billing, all in Southampton Village--which Mr. Billing helped manage.
Mr. Billing learned to swim while tagging along at his mother's swimming classes. He could swim all the way across Big Fresh Pond when he was just 6 years old, his sister, Diane McGann, recalled on Monday.
``You could tell it was a passion, and he was just good at it,'' Ms. McGann said. ``He knew how to read a student, and he knew just how far to push to get results. ... It built up their self-esteem.''
Most of the swimming classes were held at the same Billing-family lake-front property on Big Fresh Pond where his mother had first given lessons.
``He was a strong believer in teaching at the lake,'' Ms. McGann said. She explained that he wanted new swimmers to learn to be comfortable swimming long distances in open water.
``He was more than a `swim instructor.''' Donna Billing's husband, Alex Oliva, said. ``He took it to the highest degree.''
Mr. Billing's catch phrase was ``Keep up the good work,'' and he didn't just say it to his students. Ms. Billing said he would say that to her every time he got off the telephone with her.
Their brother had a ``big kid'' personality, which he got from their late father, Hilding ``Hank'' Kurt Billing, the sisters said.
``He had this huge enthusiasm and excitement for life,'' Ms. Billing said of her brother. She said every outing with Mr. Billing, whether it be hiking or ice skating, was a grand event. ``He just made it like the biggest adventure in the world,'' she said.
Mr. Billing had a passion for travel. He has been to all 50 states, South Africa, Australia, Nepal and the Scandinavian countries, including Sweden, where he visited distant relatives. He was also an avid photographer and documented his journeys. ``He has a huge collection of slides,'' Ms. Billing said.
Mr. Billing was also a preservationist. He got his start at 24 years old, when he took out a $25,000 personal loan to help preserve an $85,000 1-acre parcel on Big Fresh Pond that he brought to the attention of the Peconic Land Trust.
``That was really inspiring for a young person to devote that kind of money,'' Peconic Land Trust President John v.H. Halsey said Monday.
Mr. Billing became a member of the Peconic Land Trust's stewardship committee and fought to preserve Tuckahoe Woods in North Sea.
``He knew that part of North Sea like the back of his hand,'' Mr. Halsey said. ``He spent a lot of time as a boy running through those woods.''
On top of swimming lessons and his traveling, Mr. Billing was a caddy at National Golf Links of America in Southampton, a motocross rider and a volunteer forest-fire fighter.
According to his family, Mr. Billing bought a home in Oregon two years ago, with plans to start a business as a trail guide when he wasn't in Southampton giving swimming lessons. Many of Mr. Billing's plans had been put on hold though, so he could care for his mother, who had a stroke in January 2007.
Mr. Billing is survived by his four sisters, Donna Billing and husband Alex Oliva of Delray Beach, Florida; Diane McGann and husband Anthony McGann of Port Washington; Lin White and husband William White of Southampton; and Lorri Billing and husband Joseph Walker of Southampton. He is also survived by his mother, Florence, and his nieces and nephews, Joseph, Morgan, Ashley, Brittan, Sandro, Elizabeth and Katherine.
A wake was held on Friday, February 6, at Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton. A funeral service was held the next day at Southampton United Methodist Church, followed by interment at Southampton Cemetery.
Letters of condolence may be sent to Kurt Billing Remembered, 101 Big Fresh Pond Road, Southampton, New York 11968. A memorial website is located at kurtbilling.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family said it would appreciate donations in Mr. Billing's memory to Peconic Land Trust, 296 Hampton Road, P.O. Box 1776, Southampton, New York 11969, peconiclandtrust.org, or to Lyme disease research. Last Updated Feb 9, 09 6:59 PM
Melanie Reber
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Thayer Libby Cole, 58, Maryland
Born in Portland, ME on Jun. 14, 1950 Departed on Mar. 11, 2009 and resided in Elkton, MD.
Thayer Libby Cole, of Elkton, MD, died Wednesday, March 11, 2009 in the Christiana Hospital, Newark, DE.
Born in Portland, ME, on June 14, 1950, she was the daughter of the late Ralph G. Libby, II and the late Vivian (Blauvelt) Libby.
She was a Disc Jockey. She started her career at WAMD in Aberdeen, MD then moved to WCEM in Cambridge, MD. From there she worked at WPOC in Baltimore, MD, returned to WAMD, then on to WXCY in Havre de Grace, MD where she retired.
Libby was a member of the National Sky Patrol, a competitive down hill snow skier and was a water skier. She was the first female Station Master for Amtrak. She loved people and remote broadcasting.
Survivors include her loving husband: Hubert M. Cole of Elkton, MD; stepson, Col. William E. Cole, his wife, Midge and their children, Elizabeth, William Jr., Joshua and Michelle, all of Burke, VA; and also by her brother Ralph G. Libby, III and his wife Brenda of Lyman, ME.
Visitation for family and friends will be held at Crouch Funeral Home, 127 south Main Street, North East, MD, on Saturday, March 14, 2009 from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM and again Sunday, at 1:00 om before the funeral service.
Funeral service will be held Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 2:00 PM at the funeral home.
Rev. Karen Bunnell will officiate. Interment will be in Limington Cemetery, Limington, ME.
(see photo at link below) Sue Baiata, shown dancing with her brother, John, at his 2001 wedding, developed advanced Lyme disease in the years after being bitten by a tick. One of the side effects she experienced was hyperacusis, a sensitivity to sound so severe that she tried to find a doctor willing to surgically deafen her.
Courtesy of the Baiata family
The phone had not even finished its first ring before my wife, Anna, snatched it from its cradle. Concern was etched in her face as she handed me the receiver: ``It's the police. It's about Sue.''
My stomach dropped. My older sister had disappeared the day before and my family feared for her safety. ``I'm sorry to have to tell you this,'' the police lieutenant said in an even voice, ``but we found your sister dead this afternoon. We have reason to believe it was a suicide. We're here with your mother now.''
I fought the urge to scream as my mind went in a million directions. ``Do not leave my mother by herself,'' I urged the lieutenant over the phone. ``I'll be there in a little more than an hour.''
I lurched outside and clung tightly to the deck railing, while everything else seemed to spin violently around me. Anna grabbed me with both hands. ``What happened?!''
``She really did it this time,`` I said. ``She killed herself.''
In the decade or so before Sue took her own life at age 46 on August 21, 2005, my sister Dawn, my mother and I had become all too familiar with advanced Lyme disease, which had slowly, inexorably diminished Sue's life.
Sometime in the mid 1990s, my sister contracted Lyme disease, likely through being bitten by a deer tick or black-legged tick. The bacterium that had introduced itself to Sue's bloodstream went undetected, and then was misdiagnosed for the better part of two years.
Identified early, a short course of oral antibiotics will cure the majority of cases of Lyme disease -- more than 27,000 cases were reported in the U.S. in 2007 -- and wipe out the typical symptoms of headaches, fatigue and a circular rash near the area of the bite. But left untreated, the disease can affect the heart and nervous system, causing joint pain. Sue faced a parade of symptoms including migraines, severe pain in her neck and major joints and staggering exhaustion.
Each one narrowed the prism through which she lived her life. Sue had to leave her job as a facilities manager to go on disability, and lived with my mother in the Long Island home where we were raised. On her good days, she would spend hours in the gardens she had lovingly cultivated in the expanse of the backyard. More than likely it was there too where the tick which bore the disease that would seal her fate attached itself to her.
On her bad days, she would stay in bed with the shades drawn, cuddled with the dog she loved unconditionally, her beloved Chihuahua, Katie. She would emerge only briefly to have some tea and a bite to eat, and a few words with our mom.
Still, she had accepted what her life had become. On those good days she could still fill the room with laughter. She would mine the late-night comedians for material but never really needed to. Making people laugh came naturally to her.
Her life became more attuned to the seasons than ever. She knew instinctively how to grow just about anything. She kept a pair of pruners in her car in case she happened across something that would make its way into one of her many centerpieces. One fall while driving through a rural part of northern New Jersey, she forced me to pull over to the side of the road, disappearing into a thicket of brush and trees. She emerged moments later holding a fistful of exotic-looking flowers over her head, grinning ear to ear like she'd just been handed an Oscar. One Christmas season, in a burst of energy, she decorated the entire house while my mom was at work. The memory of walking through the front door that day still lights up my mother's face.
The agony of sound
Despite what Lyme disease had already taken, it was not done with her. A crueler, more insidious phase awaited. She began to develop an aversion to noises that had never bothered her before. Everyday sounds like the closing of a door or the cry of a child would cause her to cringe. A passing lawn mower or motorcycle would send her running for her room. The disease's attack on her central nervous system had brought on hyperacusis, a severe sensitivity to sound. And it became progressively worse.
It was as if a volume dial, set on high, had broken off, and everything in her aural experience was overmodulated. Softer sounds were tolerable. Sharper sounds were not, and painfully so for her.
Hyperacusis, which can be brought on by trauma to the inner ear, is also thought to be a processing problem with the way the brain perceives sound, which seems much more likely in my sister's case.
Dr. Paul Auwaerter, clinical director of infectious diseases at John Hopkins University School of Medicine and a leading specialist on Lyme disease, describes hyperacusis as ``a bit like the old fashioned AM radios. When you turn the ``gain'' button up you get more stations, but you get a lot more static, too.''
One of the enduring frustrations for my sister, and for those of us who loved her, was the failure of her doctors to recognize what was wrong. She was misdiagnosed twice in the early stages of the disease -- once with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the second time with Epstein-Barr virus. She was accused of exaggerating her symptoms to avoid work, or inventing them in order to get pain medication. By the time anyone thought to give her a definitive blood test for Lyme, the disease was on the march.
Patients treated in the early stages -- within about two to four weeks after the onset of symptoms -- usually make a complete recovery. Not everyone is so fortunate.
``It's hard to put a number on how common misdiagnoses are, but early detection can be difficult," says Auwaerter. "It takes the body some time to generate enough antibodies to show up in testing, and the symptoms are common to many other ailments. There's a general sense that if you have the infection longer, you'll have extended symptoms.''
For those who are diagnosed late and have persistent symptoms, some doctors will prescribe an extended antibiotic regimen. That is a controversial approach, however, as several studies have shown it not to be an effective strategy.
There is also considerable debate in the medical community and with advocacy groups over some of the symptoms of ``advanced'' or ``persistent'' Lyme disease, like Sue had, and how to treat them. One theory, based on research studies, suggests that people who suffer from post-Lyme disease symptoms ``may be genetically predisposed to develop an autoimmune response that contributes to their symptoms.''
'It's like they're screaming'
Sue was determined to deal with the progression of the disease -- and especially the hyperacusis -- on her own terms. She went on the Internet and did exhaustive research. She kept in contact with another sufferer of advanced Lyme who lived in New Jersey, comparing notes on their progressive symptoms. And she ping-ponged from specialist to specialist, desperate to find someone who could help, someone who believed her. She took to wearing ear-plugs, then sound-proof headphones. But it was akin to spitting in the ocean. It made no discernible difference.
``Sometimes,'' she told me, ``when people are talking to me, even if they're whispering ... it's like they're screaming.''
My mother found her one day in her room, unresponsive and foam coming from her mouth. A long suicide note was tucked in a dresser drawer. She'd taken a bunch of pain pills from two prescription medications, but would live. When I arrived at the hospital my mother was outside stealing a cigarette, crying and ashen. When Sue came to, she was enraged that my mother had intervened. In the days after, an uncomfortable dynamic followed: Dawn and I were naturally supportive of my mother, and yet entirely empathetic to my sister's situation. A common enemy soon emerged, however. Her doctors wanted her committed to the psychiatric ward.
We argued vehemently that she was not crazy. She was suffering from the advanced stages of a debilitating disease, and had left behind a reasoned, lucid note explaining her actions.
We eventually got her home and struck a wary truce: we would redouble our efforts to help her navigate the maze of health-care providers in search of some relief, and she would simply not give up. She was sent to a therapist, and placed on medication for depression -- something she had struggled with even before contracting Lyme disease.
In search of a quieter neighborhood without the noises that were agony for Sue, my mom reluctantly put the house up for sale -- the one that held so many memories for all of us, and Sue tore herself away from the gardens she loved. They moved, and then moved again, finally settling in a 55 and older community that they thought offered the quiet my sister so desperately sought. The first day the landscapers came by with their torturous weed-wackers, it became clear there would be no silent refuge.
Asking to be made deaf
Sue came to a drastic, but, given the circumstances, reasonable conclusion: she wanted to be surgically deafened. My sister -- the same one who turned me on to all manner of wonderful music, who liked nothing better than lying on the beach listening to the sounds of the waves and seagulls, for whom peals of laughter were a siren's song -- would rather go deaf than endure any more pain. Now all she had to do was find a doctor who would do it.
No doctor would. They either did not believe the extent of her pain, felt it was too drastic a measure, or cited the ``do no harm'' tenet of the Hippocratic oath.
The last time I saw my sister alive was on one of her good days, in the summer of 2005. I had driven out to Long Island on a Saturday, and we spent the day together. We took a drive, and she asked me what music I was listening to. She could barely stand listening to music anymore, but she still wanted to know what was out there. I played a few tracks for her at the softest volume possible, and she laid her head back and smiled. Later, we went for a swim and she cracked a few jokes about sharing a pool with a bunch of people 20 and 30 years her senior. Looking back, the day seems impossible. A mirage.
Later that week, I called to see if it was OK to come out that weekend with my family. Sue was godmother to my oldest, Alexa, but had yet to meet my son Luke, who at the time was 3 months old. She wanted desperately to see him -- and I to show him off -- but she was fearful of the noise a crying baby would make. She urged me to come, and offered to leave the house in order to avoid the noise. I put the visit off again -- a decision I regret to this day.
When my sister attempted suicide the second time, she was determined that there would be no intervention. Sue was up and dressed early that day in August, and told my mom she was going to the mall. She called later that day to say she had met a friend and would be home late, not to worry. Instead, she checked herself into a motel along a busy stretch of New York highway, affixed a bunch of morphine patches to her body, and lay down to die in an empty motel room. There was no note. I think, in Sue's mind, her actions no longer required an explanation.
In the days following her death, my sister Dawn and I did our best to simultaneously deal with our grief and to support my mother, whose own grief had turned her near catatonic. The thought of never seeing Sue again, of never touching her or hearing the sound of her voice, was overwhelming. What was most painful for me was the knowledge that she would not be around to see my children grow. She'd never again get to spoil her goddaughter. And she had never met my son, Luke.
The day of her funeral, the visitation room was closed to all but immediate family just before her body was to be moved to the church. I walked in with Luke in my arms, and closed the door behind me. I placed his tiny hands in mine, and pressed them against my sister's casket. ``Sue, this is my beautiful boy, Luke,'' I whispered.
``Luke, meet your wonderful Aunt Sue.''
I have a favorite picture I keep on my dresser of Sue with her arms wrapped around me on my wedding day. Her face is lit with undiluted joy. Joy for me. Joy for the moment. There are times still when my longing to have her back hurts as deeply as the day she left us. But mostly when I think of her now, I think of all the times, and all of the little ways she expressed that same unbridled passion for life.
My sister fought valiantly against a disease that had diminished the quality of that life to a level that was no longer acceptable to her. It never once diminished her spirit. Through it all, all she really wanted was relief to her pain, and for someone to believe her story.
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Unknown male, 62, New York
Man Dies of Brain Inflammation Caused by Deer Tick Virus 05.13.09, 05:00 PM EDT Scientists believe the case could be the first of its kind
WEDNESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- In what scientists say might be the first case of its kind, a new report details the story of a 62-year-old man in New York state who died last year of meningoencephalitis, apparently after being bitten by a deer tick infected with deer tick virus.
This appears to be the first reported human illness from the virus, although the organism was isolated in the brain of a person in Ontario, Canada. In this instance, there was no description of illness associated with that infection, said Norma P. Tavakoli, lead author of the paper appearing in the May 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Deer tick virus encephalitis [inflammation of the brain] is rare, but diagnostic testing is not routinely performed, so there could be cases out there we're actually missing," said Tavakoli, who is a research scientist with the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health in Albany. "Certainly, during early spring to fall in areas where infected ticks have been reported, testing should be done."
"It is quite a rare virus," said Dr. Geoffrey Weinberg, a professor of pediatrics in the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "I would advise people not to be overly concerned. Ticks are less commonly infected with this than with Lyme disease and, even in Lyme, Conn., a minority of ticks are infected with Lyme disease. Also, the odds are 300-to-one that someone infected with the virus will develop encephalitis. The vast majority have no symptoms at all."
For the average outdoorsman, precautions already recommended to avoid contracting Lyme disease -- also transmitted via deer ticks -- should decrease the odds of getting the deer tick virus as well, according to the study.
"Whether or not this will become a real problem, I don't think anybody knows. Obviously, there is no treatment for the virus so, really, prevention is the only thing you can do," said Dr. Peter Welch, an infectious disease specialist with Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco, N.Y. "We should always be cautious to do our best to not be bitten by ticks. Check for ticks when you come out of the woods or anywhere there are ticks. Wear insect repellant which contains DEET."
Wearing light-colored clothing, removing any ticks as soon as they are found and keeping pets free of ticks can also reduce the risk, Tavakoli added.
Deer tick virus is closely related to Powassan virus, which can also cause encephalitis and is also transmitted by way of the deer tick, according to background information in the study. Both are flaviviruses, a group that includes West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, dengue and yellow fever viruses, all of which are transmitted by mosquitoes.
Infection with one of these viruses sometimes causes severe illness, some combination of milder symptoms, or no illness at all. Deer ticks also transmit Lyme disease, which is now widespread in the United States.
In the New York case, a 62-year-old man from Putnam County, N.Y., arrived at a local hospital in spring of 2008 complaining of fatigue, fever, rash and muscle weakness.
Doctors first suspected West Nile virus, but analysis of tissue samples eventually came up positive for deer tick virus only.
The patient spent a good deal of time outdoors, owned horses and lived in a county with many reports of Lyme disease, indicating a large tick population. Although the man had not reported any tick bites, the time of the year was right for such an event, and many deer ticks are so small as to remain undetected.
Unfortunately, the man's condition continued to deteriorate, life support was withdrawn, and the man, who also had leukemia and therefore possibly a weakened immune system, died 17 days after he fell ill.
In general, Welch said, encephalitis cases of any sort are few, and labs are not usually able to identify the source, unless it is the herpes simplex virus.
"Since no one has been testing, we really don't know the incidence of deer tick virus, but it can't be very high, because we don't have many cases of encephalitis," he said. "What happens in the future will depend on how many ticks get infected, how easy it is to transmit to people and what percent of people infected get severe disease. It could be that people with normal immune systems are relatively resistant."
At 28 years old, Adan 'Juancho' Quezada-Lopez was strong and healthy and looking forward to celebrating his daughter's first birthday on July 8 with his wife, Autumn Lee Quezada-Grant. But instead of it being a happy time for the couple, Autumn found herself having to say goodbye to her husband who died on July 9 from Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
A landscaper with the University of Mississippi, Adan started to run a 103 degree fever on June 29. The next day he went to the doctor who suspected Adan might have swine flu since Autumn had just recently returned from a trip to Mexico.
"By Wednesday (July 1), he couldn't eat and he started having pain in his legs and terrible headaches," Autumn Lee Quezada-Grant said. "We went back to the doctor on Thursday."
Tests showed Adan's platelet count was very low. He was given more antibiotics and anti-viral medications.
"Nothing was working," Autumn said.
Autumn took her husband to the emergency room at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi in Oxford on Saturday. A battery of tests were performed, but Adan's illness was still a mystery.
By Sunday, Adan was in the intensive care unit. On Tuesday, his body was covered in a rash and Autumn alerted the attending physician.
"Once the doctor saw the rash, he said, 'Rocky Mountain spotted fever'," Autumn said.
After receiving the usual treatment for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, some of Adan's symptoms improved. He was able to tell Autumn that one day after work a week prior, he had several ticks on him. Two swollen tick bites were found on Adan's knee.
Adan died shortly after midnight. "He was so young and strong," Autumn said.
Occurrences of Rocky Mountain spotted fever are rare in Mississippi. So far this year, five cases have been reported in the state. There were five cases in all of 2008.
Three cases of lyme disease - another tick-borne disease - have been reported in Mississippi since March, according to the Mississippi Department of Health.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a seasonal disease and occurs throughout the United States during the months of April through September, according to Christopher Cox with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The highest incidence rates have been found in North Carolina and Oklahoma," Cox said. "Although this disease was first discovered and recognized in the Rocky Mountain area, relatively few cases are reported from that area today."
...
Mr. Adan "Juancho" Quezada-L�pez July 7, 1981 - July 9, 2009
Mr. Adan "Juancho" Quezada-L�pez, 28, a landscaper with the University of Mississippi, died Thursday, July 9, 2009 at Baptist Memorial Hospital North MS. Funeral services will be Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 11:00 A.M. at Waller Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Douglass Sullivan-Gonz�lez officiating. Burial will be held at a later date in Villa Comaltitlan, Chiapas, Mexico. Visitation will be Monday, July 13, 2009 from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. at the funeral home.
Adan is survived by his wife, Autumn Lee Quezada-Grant of Oxford; a daughter, Natalia Xochitl Quezada-Grant and a step-daughter, Lila Dharma Saye both of Oxford; his parents, Jesus Quezada and Angela L�pez de Quezada of Comaltitlan, Chiapas, Mexico; four sisters, Gloria Quezada L�pez and Marlyne Quezada L�pez both of Tonal�, Chiapas, Mexico and Amanda Quezada L�pez and Monica Quezada L�pez of Comaltitlan, Chiapas, Mexico; two brothers, Fernando Quezada L�pez and Fabian Quezada L�pez both of Comaltitlan, Chiapas, Mexico and by a grandmother, Angela L�pez of Comaltitlan, Chiapas, Mexico.
Adan was an immigrant to Mississippi and married Autumn in March of 2007.
The family has asked that memorial contributions in Adan's memory be made to Mr. Adan "Juancho" Quezada-L�pez, c/o Autumn Lee Quezada-Grant, 315 Blair Cove, Oxford, MS 38655.
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Tick-Borne Disease Claims Buncombe Co. Man's Life
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. -- A Buncombe County, N.C. man who died in mid-May died from Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF).
Test results were confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials made the request for tissue testing because it wasn't clear how the man died. At one point, flu had been considered as a possible cause of death.
RMSF is caused by a bacterial organism and is transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. The American dog tick is the main transmitter of this disease.
An average of 675 cases of RMSF have been reported annually in North Carolina in recent years, according to North Carolina health officials.
RMSF can usually be treated with antibiotics, but 3 to 5 percent of cases can be fatal.
The best prevention for RMSF is to avoid ticks and be aware of symptoms, which can include a sudden onset high fever, muscle pains and headache, followed by a rash that starts on the wrists, forearms and ankles. This kind of rash then spreads from the extremities in toward the trunk. But it's important to note the rash doesn't develop in every patient. Ten to 15 percent of all patients never develop a rash.
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Andrea Ortiz Peterson, 27, Washington
ANDREA ORTIZ PETERSON
Andrea Ortiz Peterson 1981-2009 "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long." While she was healthy, her light burned long and strong!
Andrea Ortiz Peterson, 27, of Graham, WA, passed away from complications of Lyme Disease on September 1, 2009.
She was born December 31, 1981 in Renton, WA. She grew up in the Renton Federal Way area, graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School, where she was an award-winning golfer and played the violin. During her short life she also resided in Richmond Beach, VA and New Orleans, LA.
Andrea loved the sea, securing a job following her passion as a Merchant Marine Able Bodied Seaman, and sailed the waters of the world for Military Sealift Command. Her travels of the world included the Seychelles, where she contracted Lyme Disease.
She remained strong of will and optimistic until the end of her life, in spite of her overwhelming medical issues. Her love of the sea encompassed her life so much that she had purchased a sailboat and planned to live aboard.
Surviving Andrea are her parents, Sherry (Clark) and Dean Peterson, her sister Erin Moon, and many others who will miss her intelligence, love, warmth, and energy. Family and friends will celebrate Andrea's life promptly at 1300 Hours (1:00PM) on Monday, September 7, 2009, aboard the Virginia V, 860 Terry Ave. N., Lake Union, Seattle, WA.
Condolences may be left online for the family at www.funeralalternatives.org . Arrangements with Funeral Alternatives of Washington, (360)753-1065
Published in News Tribune (Tacoma) on September 6, 2009
CRESTLINE: Jamie Lee (Stewart) Wynne, 53, went home to be with her Lord & Savior Jesus Christ on November 19, 2009 at home, under Hospice care, with her husband and son at her bedside. Jamie battled Lyme Disease for the past 11 years.
Jamie was born February 25, 1956 in New Kensington, PA to Sandra L. Spencer, Crestline and Wayne Stewart, Lexington.
Jamie was blessed with a very caring, loving and compassionate spirit her entire life, always thinking of others and never having a bad word to say about anyone. On Sundays her mom, dad and grandma Alberta always got their phone call from Jamie checking on how everyone was, even though she was so ill herself.
Jamie grew up in Crestline and graduated in 1974 from Crestline High School. Along with her sisters, they all grew up going to Calvary United Church of Christ. Jamie loved cooking and collecting recipes. When she visited home in Ohio, she always made her famous corn beef, cabbage and potatoes for dinner, the following day we had her wonderful Reuben sandwiches. She enjoyed music, especially country western and Christian and enjoyed funny TV shows. One of her favorite singing groups as a teenager was "BREAD". Jamie was a lover of nature; beautiful trees, wildflowers and the changing of the fall leaves. Her mom would take pictures of the fall splendor and send them to her.
During Jamie's junior and senior years of high school, she worked at Crestline Memorial Hospital in Admitting. Following graduation she went on to L.P.N. school in Mansfield. Jamie was the winner of "Best Nurse Contest" of the Tampa Bay area. She was the subject of an article published in the Florida Nursing News, where Dr. J. Giglio with whom she was employed had this to say: "Jaime was a dedicated nurse and is always ready to assist in any way she can. She has a palliative effect on patients, instilling in them the confidence they required when faced with medical problems. Jamie is a very special nurse and is considered so by her peers. She is of impeccable character and has a soothing influence on those in her presence." Nursing was truly Jamie's calling and she missed it so after she became ill.
She was devoted to her cherished husband, Brian; son, Jason Michael and her family. She is survived by her maternal grandmother, Alberta Spencer, Crestline; her sisters, Debra and Terry Robinette, Pamona Park, FL and Kelly and Ken Schroeder, Lexington, her uncles, Randy and Susan Spencer, Crestline and Craig Spencer, Big Pine Key, FL. Jamie was aunt to; Tyson and Zien Robinette of FL, Terah, Lynnix & Lyric Robinette, FL, Riley Schroeder & friend Alyssa Henderson, Lexington, Ryan Schroeder & fianc� Nikki and Laynee Erin Schroeder, Crestline, cousins, Renee, Glen, Chelsea & Nathan Boyd, Crestline, Brian & Lauren Boyd, Ontario, Sharon, Glenn, Kaitlyn & Logan Rinehart, FL, Randy, Dylan & Allyson Spencer, Lexington, Ryan & Braylen Spencer, FL., Natalie, Michael, Gage & Taylor Rynard, PA, Reese Spencer, FL and her father and mother-in-law, Dave and Marie Wynne.
She was preceded in death by her Grandpa Herm Spencer, Aunt Barbara Spencer and nephew, Erin Schroeder.
We will celebrate her life, but with broken hearts. Jamie you will be in our hearts forever, we love you so very much. When you lose a child, a spouse, mother, father, brother, sister, or grandparent or grandchild, it seems your world has shattered and stopped. You have suffered the most profound loss that an individual can suffer. Only faith in our Lord will get us through this sad time.
At Jamie's request, she chose to be cremated and brought home to scatter her cremains. There will be a private get together for her family only on December 12, 2009 at sunset.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Jaime's name to the United Church of Christ, 511 Heiser Court, Crestline, Ohio 44827. Jamie had also asked to have a tree planted in her memory. Memorial contributions may also be made for the tree to her mother, Sandra Spencer, 304 Reindl; Dr. Crestline, Ohio, 44827.
Arrangements are in care of the Mark A. Schneider Funeral Home, Crestline
Online condolences may be made to Jaime's family at www.masfh.com
An army soldier that died from a tick bite was laid to rest today in Covington County.
22-year old Sgt. E-5 Robert David Gordon II, of River Falls, Alabama, died Wednesday in Landstuhl, Germany, after succumbing to a virus he contracted after being bitten by a tick while serving in Afghanistan.
Over one hundred people lined Highway 84 West to pay final respects by waving signs and flags. Gordon was laid to rest at New Home Baptist Church.
The Honor Guard was made up soldiers from Fort Rucker.
Doctors determined Gordon contracted the rare Crymean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus, which has been recorded in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
According to the World Health Organization's web site, the mortality rate for the CCHF virus is 30 percent.
Gordon may have been the first U.S. soldier to contract the virus in Afghanistan. Military personnel in Afghanistan are now checking daily for ticks.
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Julia Gilbert, 21, Oklahoma
Edmond Police Find Julia Gilbert's Body in Wrecked Car Posted: Jan 10, 2010 2:01 PM MST Updated: Jan 12, 2010 3:51 PM MST
EDMOND, Oklahoma -- A missing OU student was found dead Sunday inside her wrecked silver Jetta.
The silver 2002 Volkswagen Jetta, belonging to Julia Gilbert, was found upside down in a creek bed near Waterloo and Morgan roads in Kingfisher County at about 3 p.m. Sunday. A passerby saw the car and notified Edmond police.
According to the police report, the 21-year-old went off the road for an unknown reason and her car overturned off a bridge. She was pinned inside the vehicle and died due to injuries sustained from the crash.
Police say it was lucky anyone saw the car at all because of where it landed in the ravine.
"The underside of the car is all you can see and it was the gray under side of the car and it just blended in with the area around it," said Edmond Police spokesperson Glynda Chu.
Edmond police, the Civil Air Patrol, and over 100 volunteers had been searching for Julia Gilbert since Friday.
She had last seen at about 3:30 a.m. Friday, leaving a friend's house in the 600 block of Belle Air Avenue in Edmond. Police had tracked her last cell phone call near MacArthur Boulevard and Covell Road around Deer Creek High School.
The investigation has been handed over to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Once it was determined the car was Julia's and she was inside, the tragedy began to sink in for family and friends at scene.
"All of a sudden you realize what you're looking at and you hope it's not that and it is," said Cheryl Coy, who helped pass out missing person flyers for Julia Gilbert. "After a few minutes it sank in. It was actually comforting to know now the family knows."
Questions still remain over how Gilbert ended up near Deer Creek. Friends and family say she was headed toward her parent's house in north Edmond after she left her friend's house and the drive should have only taken 10 minutes. Instead, she ended up in Kingfisher County over 15 miles in the opposite direction.
Julia's family said she was on new pain medication to treat her Lyme disease and they fear it may have disoriented her on her drive home.
The State Medical Examiner's Officer said Julia died from a fractured neck. Toxicology results will take at least a month.
Julia Gilbert was a senior at OU. She was scheduled to graduate in May.
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Gabriele Magnotta, 60, Canada
GABRIELE MAGNOTTA Passed away suddenly at home, surrounded by his loving family on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 in his 60th year.
Beloved husband of Rossana. Dear father to Tommaso, Joseph and Alessia and father-in-law to Sarah and Marco. Proud grandfather of Gabriella. Devoted son of Giuseppina and son-in-law of Tommaso and Maria Di Zio.
He was a great friend to so many and every day he touched the lives of all who were blessed by his presence. He will be held dear in the hearts of his sisters and brothers-in-law, many nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives and friends.
Gabriele was born on April 9, 1949 in the small mountain town of Andretta, Italy. He emigrated to Canada when he was 11 years old. He attended York University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree and played goalkeeper for the university soccer team.
He worked briefly as a high school teacher before finding his true calling in business. The greatest love of Gabriele's life was his devoted wife Rossana. Throughout their many achievements in business, family always came first. Most importantly, they truly cherished their 36 years together.
Gabriele was a prolific and passionate entrepreneur. He started a number of companies and eventually became CEO of Magnotta Winery, a business he co-founded and built from an idea into Ontario's third-largest winery in 20 short years. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved adventuring at home and abroad with his dogs.
He was a loving and generous man who cared deeply for the welfare of others. He fought a long and courageous battle with Lyme disease these past 7 years. He was very well respected in the community and will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
The family will receive friends at the Fratelli Vescio Funeral Home (8101 Weston Rd., south of Langstaff Rd., 905-850-3332), on Saturday, January 2 and Sunday, January 3, 2010 from 2-4 in the afternoon and 7-9 in the evening. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, January 4, 2010 at 11 a.m. at Saint Mary Immaculate Church (10295 Yonge St., Richmond Hill). Entombment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery (the Langstaff Rd. entrance off of Bayview St., south of Highway 7).
Memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. Published in the Toronto Star from January 1 to January 2, 2010
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Rebecca Glen (Hernandez), 55, California
Rebecca Glenn (Hernandez) (1954-2009)
Beckie, the daughter of Joe and Terry Hernandez, grew up in northern California with her brother, Joseph. She was never short on independence as she was off on her own before her 18th birthday, working and going to school.
She enjoyed life and her friends to the fullest as she moved to her mother's home town of Santa Barbara where she graduated from UCSB with a degree in environmental biology.
After graduation, Beckie moved to San Diego to work at the Scripps Research Institute as a researcher in the molecular and cellular biology department. With her skills in making monoclonal antibodies, she was recruited to a young biotech company, Quidel, where she and Scott met. As with any new business, they worked endless hours but always found the time to play together as Beckie enjoyed running, skiing and playing coed softball.
Scott and Beckie were married in 1986 at home in La Jolla with a hundred of their best friends and family. For Beckie, it was not just a union of two people; she graciously helped parent Scott's older boys, Jaime and Russell. With the birth of Ashley in 1987 and Connor in 1990 it was a dynamic group as Beckie integrated everyone into a loving and caring family.
Beckie worked tirelessly with the kids at Evans School when she chaperoned Russell's 6th grade trip to Washington, DC, and then became Connor and Ashley's room mother. She started her own Brownie and Girl Scout troops from scratch and managed Ashley's softball team into a number of regional final games. In between Ashley and Connor's birth, Beckie took the time to start a new business, Conception Technologies, making innovative medical devices for use by reproductive and infertility physicians.
After a year she decided work was taking more time away from her family than she wanted; they were graced as an old friend, Mike Trinkle, came into the business and made it the success it is today. Beckie was thrilled that Russell has taken such pride in his work at Conception and is working hard to continue the family business.
While everyone in the family called Beckie "Super Mom" and sometimes the "Enforcer", she always had time for family and her friends. She would take us to hike the backside of Half Dome in Yosemite when she was 7 months pregnant, then taught us how to catch lizards with a grass noose using tall grasses found in the meadow.
Her spirituality and thrill for life really grew when we moved to Telluride, Colorado, in 2000. In the mountains, Beckie became an avid hiker travelling 8-10 miles two or three times a week to altitudes of 13,000 feet with her best friends. Her love for life will forever be reflected in her photography which she was exposed to by her father and later refined in her homemade darkroom.
After her diagnosis with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Beckie brought a new sense of conscientiousness with our return to La Jolla.
She continued to participate in two prayer groups in San Diego and Telluride and enjoyed her Bible Studies at La Jolla Community Church. All the while, she stayed close with her dearest friends in the YPO group and the TWN in Telluride. As Jaime said the other day, "The husbands go off to work and think they are accomplishing so much, while the wives stay home and take care of the home. Now after writing this, I have never felt so humbled by all Beckie has accomplished while I was away at work."
Beckie's love for family was insatiable, not only to her immediate family, but all her aunts, uncles and cousins in Santa Barbara as she and her mother would hold an annual tamale party for family and friends. Beckie was a "Daddy's girl."
When she spent time with her father before he was overtaken by Alzheimer's disease, he had that wonderful glimmer in his eye every time he saw Beckie and the grandkids. It was during these past few years when we saw Beckie have that same glimmer in her eyes when Jaime had Beckie stand up and take credit with all the Moms at his graduation from medical school; or Ashley coming home from school in Santa Barbara to take her, as best friends, to get their nails done or buy some makeup; or when Connor would come home from SDSU to tell us about his new observation on life and she would admire his intellect and good looks.
Driven by the warmth of her friendships and her love for her family, Beckie lived seven wonderful years longer than her doctors predicted after she was exposed to Lyme's disease and diagnosed with ALS. Most importantly, it was her spirituality, her hugs from her family, and the new voices in the hallway of her grandkids: Gavin who would call "Grandma Beckie" and make her heart melt and Stella who would give her those heartfelt smiles.
As Connor said the other day, "We are only sad that the future grandkids will not experience the love and passion that Beckie gave each and every one of us everyday." In the end it was Beckie who, as Shannon and Elise will attest, set such high standards for all of us to attain and was such an exemplary role model.
While there are so many things we have not reflected on in this short attestation of our love and respect for Beckie, we know she will continue to bless us in our hearts and spirit and we look forward to joining her again one day in heaven.
A celebration of Beckie's life was held at La Jolla Community Church on Sunday, December 20, at 1:30PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to "Friends of the Poor-Africa," c/o Mrs. Jean Colarusso, 8460 Whale Watch Way, La Jolla, CA 92037.
Published in La Jolla Light (Online) from December 22, 2009 to January 22, 2010
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Susan Mayer-Smith, 59, California
Susan Mayer-Smith, owner of GrapeCraft Wine Marketing, Dies
Dr. Susan Mayer-Smith, owner of GrapeCraft Wine Marketing, died of surgical complications January 23, 2010 at age 59.
Susan, who earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology in French at the University of Marseilles, founded the non-profit American Vittoz Society in 2002. She invested in GrapeCraft in 2003 with her husband, winemaker Clark Smith, as a funding source for Vittoz, a European therapy method for treating phantom pain in amputees, ADD in children, and training in bringing the mind to the present moment in today's world of sensory overload.
Susan, who had suffered from Lyme disease, wanted her many female friends to be aware that she had acquired liver disease leading to her death as a result of self-medication for chronic pain, and had no idea how vulnerable the female body is to alcohol. Susie dedicated herself to raising service dogs, and desired that contributions in her name be made to Canine Companions for Independence.
Founder of the American Vittoz Society and owner of GrapeCraft Wine Marketing, died of surgical complications January 23, 2010 at age 59.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 1, 1950, she attended the University of Wisconsin at age 14, was uneven parallel bars champion of the Great Lakes Region at age 19, when she was also recruited by the Chicago Symphony as a concert flautist, later winning honors as a concert pianist and MA degrees in Education and Music.
Susan served with her first husband Michael McClure in a pastorate in Loomis, Nebraska after earning a Master of Divinity from Trinity College, accompanying him as a missionary to Zaire in 1984 and subsequently planting churches in France throughout the following 25 years.
She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology in French at the University of Marseilles in 1995 and directed CCCM, a clinic with 2,000 clients for the reinsertion of depressed persons.
Following a chance encounter in the market in Aix-en-Provence in which a woman in tears related that she could not perform her shopping duties because she did not read numerals, Susie championed a pilot program for the promotion of literacy in Arabic women, an initiative which subsequently manifested throughout Europe.
Widowed in 1999, Susan (always "Susie") reconnected in 2001 with Clark Smith, whom she and her first husband had known at MIT, and married Clark on September 8, 2001.
Returning to France to complete post-doctorate certification in the Vittoz method, a European therapy method for treating phantom pain in amputees, ADD in children, and training in bringing the mind to the present moment in today's world of sensory overload.
She founded the non-profit American Vittoz Society in 2002. She invested in her winemaking husband in 2003, forming GrapeCraft Wine Marketing as a funding source for Vittoz. Susan, who had suffered from Lyme disease, wanted her many female friends to be aware that she had acquired liver disease leading to her death as a result of self-medication for chronic pain, and had no idea how vulnerable the female body is to alcohol.
Susie dedicated herself to raising service dogs, and desired that contributions in her name be made to Canine Companions for Independence. She is survived by her loving husband Clark and an extended family of in-laws, nieces and nephews and friends in California and France. A Memorial Service will be held 7:00 p.m. Wednesday. February 3, 2010 at Presbyterian Church of the Roses. DANIELS CHAPEL OF THE ROSES FUNERAL AND CREMATION SERVICES, 525-3730
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Unknown male, 25, Sweden
Fatal course of cerebral vasculitis induced by neuroborreliosis. Buchwald F, Abul-Kasim K, Tham J, Hansen BU. Neurol India 2010;58:139-41
Borreliosis is a tick-borne illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia and the different causative strains identified include B. burgdorferi sensu strictu in America and B. garinii and B. afzelii in Europe. Clinical manifestations are wide and vary in severity. A fatal case of neuroborreliosis complicated by cerebral vasculitis in a young male patient prompted us to present this case.
Beloved wife Jennifer Elaine Pesci passed away June 9, 2010 in Tampa , Florida .She was born November 10, 1964 in Indianapolis , Indiana . At the age of twenty-two she moved to Tampa and created a life filled with friends, family, pets and her greatest talent -- art. Jennifer was a self-made woman who worked her way up from an entry level position to Human Resources Director with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. In the summer of 1996 she met Andrew David Argintar and on October 25, 1998 they were married after a romantic proposal in front of the Eiffel Tower . Through this marriage she gained two step-daughters, Susan and Lauren Argintar who were nothing less than her own children. She is survived by Andrew, Susan, Lauren and her own family, father and step-mother Bill & Marilyn Pesci of Indianpolis, mother Rita Pesci of Dunedin , as well as her older sister Angela Shinkle of Dunedin and younger brother Tom Pesci of Gainesville . Funeral service to be held Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Avenue in Tampa with a visitation held at 9:00 AM followed by a service at 10:00 AM; graveside service will be private. In lieu of flowers the family requests charitable contributions to a cause close to Jennifer: the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS.org)
Tincup
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It's with sadness that I report the passing of Dr. Teresa ``Terri'' Royer MacKnight, 57, on Sunday August 15, 2010 in Andover, ME.
She bravely fought Lyme disease and multiple co-infections for more than 14 years. Terri was one of the founding members of ILADS and the Society's first president.
The family requests those who desire, in lieu of flowers, please contribute to ``Teresa MacKnight Memorial Fund'' c/o Franklin Savings Bank, P.O. 579, Rumford, ME 04276.
Dr. Teresa [Terri] Royer MacKnight, 57, Andover, Maine
ANDOVER, Maine -- Dr. Teresa "Terri" Royer MacKnight, 57, passed away on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010, peacefully at her home in Andover.
She was born March 25, 1953, in Lewisburg, Pa., a daughter of Russell and Louise Royer, of New Columbia, Pa.
She graduated from Lewisburg High School, Class of 1971 and received her Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine, Des Moines University in Iowa in 1979.
Dr. MacKnight practiced medicine in Hollywood, Fla., Seattle, Wash., Negley, Ohio, and Beaver, Pa., before moving to Maine in 1990.
She practiced medicine in Rumford until being disabled by Neurologic Lyme Disease.
She was one of the founders of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society and the society's first president in 1999.
As a lecturer and author, she strived to help the medical community and the public to recognize, treat and prevent Lyme Disease.
Her desire to help others also took her to Barrow, Ala. American Samoa and into rural areas where she was able to help those without access to medical care.
Terri was a loving mother who treasured the time she spent with her son Michael and was delighted to see the wonderful young man he has grown into. He was the apple of her eye.
She was known as a compassionate physician and a good friend to many who knew her.
Terri enjoyed gardening, skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, snorkeling, biking, hiking, and wilderness camping. When not outside, she could be found in the kitchen where she enjoyed cooking for her family.
Some of her fondest memories were those spent at camp with family and friends. She also enjoyed traveling and exploring new areas.
Surviving are her son, Michael, and his father, Dirk MacKnight, of Andover, Maine; her mother and father, Russell and Louise Royer, of New Columbia; one brother, Rod Royer, of Salt Point, N.Y.; and one sister, Robin Yost, of Milton, Pa.
A memorial service will be conducted 1 p.m. Monday at the Andover Congregational Church, Andover, Maine, with the Rev. Jane Rich officiating.
Those who desire in lieu of flowers, please contribute to "Teresa MacKnight Memorial Fund" c/o Franklin Savings Bank, P. O. Box 579, Rumford, Maine 04276 in her memory.
Arrangements are under the care of the Meader & Son Funeral Home, 3 Franklin St., P.O. Box 537, Rumford, Maine.
posted
Ed Parker, 62, Michigan, died January 30,2010
KALAMAZOO -- A local woman whose husband died in January from what she believes were complications from Lyme disease wants to raise awareness of its symptoms so others will get tested and treated if necessary.
And she's hoping people will participate in a fundraiser for the Michigan Lyme Disease Association on Saturday at Lakeview Park, in Portage. The volunteer-run advocacy group offers awareness and prevention education and support groups.
Tammy Parker, 51, of Schoolcraft, who works for a chiropractor in Portage, said her husband, Ed, died Jan. 30 after a health decline that began in May 2009. He was 62.
She said the two of them had noticed a rash on his neck that they initially thought was ringworm and told doctors about it.
Ed Parker was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, in August 2009, but in October other doctors said that he had tested positive for Lyme disease and believed his neurological symptoms were due to Lyme disease, Tammy Parker said. She believes he never had ALS, but that Lyme disease caused all of his symptoms and complications.
-------------------- **Eat Chocolate** Posts: 942 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2005
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Tincup
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Rachael Coxon
Woman whose courage was an inspiration dies aged 38
By Jill Harding
11:29am Tuesday 2nd November 2010
A WOMAN whose courage and fortitude was an inspiration to all who knew her has died aged 38.
Rachel Coxon was an active 13-year-old looking forward to a bright future when she was bitten by a tick during a family day out in the New Forest.
The seemingly minor incident led to her contracting Lyme disease and she was left paralysed from the chest down.
In 2003 the Journal supported a campaign to buy Rachel a wheelchair she could control with her chin to allow her to move independently.
Generous readers helped to raise 6,000 and Rachel was presented with her chair, which will now be donated to Salisbury District Hospital's spinal unit.
Earlier this year Rachel was diagnosed with cancer and she died last Monday.
A service of celebration will be held for Rachel at St Paul's Church in Salisbury on Monday at 1.30pm.
* For tributes to Rachel see the November 4 edition of the Salisbury Journal.
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Lindsay K. Kinneberg, 28, from Minnesota Rest in peace...
Kinneberg, Lindsay K. age 28, of St. Louis Park.
Cherished daughter, compassionate friend, loyal companion to her dog Louis, passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 23, 2010, due to complications from Lyme Disease and its co-infections.
Born 12/19/1981 in St. Louis Park, Lindsay attended St. Louis Park Senior High School (class of 2000), Grinnell College in Iowa (2004), and Berkeley Law School (Boalt Hall) in Berkeley, CA (2007). Although Lindsay graduated, she could not take the bar and pursue her passion in Public Interest Law, for Lyme Disease had already invaded her body.
Her friends would describe Lindsay as kind, caring, compassionate, silly, unassuming and she returned those feelings in her fierce and intense love for her family and friends. She fought Lyme Disease for over 5 years with her unusual intensity.
After surrendering her spirit to her Savior, Lindsay has joined her beloved sister, Jennie in the kingdom of God, where they both left behind their broken earthly bodies, and now their souls are together again in the love & joy of Heaven. Preceded in death by her cherished sister, Jennifer Jean (Feb. 2010), grandparents, and cousin, Leah Katayama. Lindsay will be immensely missed but eternally loved by her parents, Michael & Teresa Kinneberg and her dear friends.
Services to be held Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 3 p.m. with visitation 1 1/2 hours prior at Wooddale Lutheran Church, 4003 Wooddale Ave., St. Louis Park, MN 55416. Phone 952-926-7603. Private Interment.
Donations preferred to turnthecorner.org. (Lyme Disease advocacy).
Published in Star Tribune from October 3 to October 6, 2010
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Johnette Ballenger Sowder, 47, of Roanoke, Va.
Johnette Ballenger Sowder, 47, of Roanoke, Va., unexpectedly passed away on October, 14 2010, at her childhood home in Knightdale, N.C.
Johnette had bravely battled the effects of a nine year fight against Lyme Disease. In spite of the physical pain caused by the disease and the emotional pain of having a disease that is misunderstood by many people in the fields of medicine, insurance and government, she had a dream of (in her words) "Approaching Normal" and during the past few months she had shown remarkable progress toward that goal.
Because of her progress, Johnette intended to spend October 12 through October 25 with her family members, while her husband/soul-mate of 20 years, E. Wayne Sowder, mixed sound at the Folk Festival Tent at the N.C. State Fair. She wanted to be with her loving father, Kenneth R. Ballenger, at a time when he was also facing medical challenges as well as her mother/best friend, Phyllis, and devoted stepfather, Bill Chancellor, of Lake Royale, N.C.
Thankfully, Johnette's last day on earth was shared with her favorite (and only) brother, Kenneth Julian Ballenger, and his wife, Melody, watching their two beautiful and adorable daughters, AnaMarie and Harmony Ballenger, all of Fuquay, N.C., at play in a Knightdale park. Johnette had planned on visiting her beloved grandmother, Minnie Rae "Nannie" West, of Greensboro, N.C., on the trip back home to Roanoke as the ultimate finale of our trip. Johnette and "Nannie" shared so many traits that we joked that they were as alike as "Two-Peas in a Pod", hardly a week passed that they did not call or write to each other.
Johnette loved medicine, forensics, music, photography, football, boxing, animals (especially Antoinette her 16 year old cat) and would always find beauty in the simplest parts of everyday life. She loved and missed the people she worked with at Wake Medical Center and Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
I was fortunate to share 20 years with Johnette, she changed my life and I can't believe she is gone. We loved and cared for each other and now I believe she is playing in a Heavenly park with the friends, family and her pets, Muffin and Landry, that went ahead of her. Most certainly with Johnette's cherished grandfather, Johnny R. West, from whom her name was derived; her fraternal grandparents, Raydon and Esteel Ballenger; and my parents, Basil N. and Mary B. Sowder.
Lyme Disease changed both of our lives and in lieu of flowers. please donate or purchase a DVD of the Documentary "Under Our Skin" from either Underourskin.com, Open Eye Pictures, 2656 Bridgeway, Suite 202, Sausalito, Calif. 94965, 415-332-3266 or Amazon.com.
Johnette always wanted to help other people avoid the suffering she experienced, let the spread of Lyme Disease awareness be her lasting memorial.
L. Harold Poole Funeral Service in Knightdale, N.C. are handling her final needs. The family invites any of her friends to a celebration of her life on Tuesday October 19, 2010, 1 p.m. in the chapel where she was married on the grounds of Whitestone a Masonic & Eastern Star Community, 700S Holden Rd., Greensboro, N.C. 27407, 888-558-6374. Chaplin Tommy Jones officiating with special music by Charles Johnson. Condolences to the family may be made at www.poolefuneral.com under Obituaries.
Published in Roanoke Times on October 17, 2010 * * * * * Rest in peace, friend of Lyme patients. We will work to increase Lyme disease awareness. Smile
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Myrna Vallejo, 72, of California was Lyme disease activist
Myrna Vallejo, 72 CARLSBAD -- Myrna Vallejo, of 1022 Iris Court, Carlsbad, Calif., died on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at her home.
A daughter of Luis Vallejo and Brigida Moran, she was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and later moved to New York City, where she earned an Associate degree in Accounting from Greensborough Community College. A successful accountant and later business owner, she moved to the San Diego area upon retirement.
She will be remembered for her devotion to her beloved "Yorkies" and cats, and for her wonderful sense of humor, even in the midst of her suffering from late stage Lyme disease.
Mynra was also truly thoughtful and generous in her remembrances throughout the year to her innumerable nieces and nephews and their children.
She dedicated her later years to the cause of the fight against Lyme disease and was active in both regional and national Lyme disease organizations.
She is survived by sisters, Olga Wright of Dover, New Hampshire, Nellie Castillo of Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Margot Vallejo of Palestina, Ecuador, as well as many nieces nephews and their children. A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Carlsbad, California on Friday, August 20, 2010.
The family wants to thank Dr. Theresa Yang, Rev. Lark Diaz, her caregiver, Cookie Lopez, and the local Jehovah Witness community, for their extraordinary kindness and emotional support in her last years. San Diego Hospice also provided exceptional care in the last days of her life.
Donations to her memory may be made to: National Lyme Disease Association, Inc. P.O. Box 1438 Jackson, New Jersey, 08527 or California Lyme Disease Association (CALDA) P.O. Box 1423 Ukiah, California 95482-1423 Sign the Guest Book online obits.nctimes.com
Published in North County Times on August 31, 2010
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Tracy9
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A young woman in her 30's in Branford, CT took her life last month. She had 3 children. Two people told me about her in the waiting room in my LLD office last week. I believe Randy Sykes has her name and the details.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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Tracy9
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A young man on Wall Street with Lyme Disease jumped out of a window and took his own life last month. His obituary was widely posted on Facebook. He could not bear to live with the disease anymore and left behind a suicide note.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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