Forum member RivkaRivka extends an invitation to members of the ME/CFS, Lyme and MCS communities to join together in a teleconference to say “Thank you; We love you; Goodbye” to Rich Van Konynenburg.
On Sunday, November 18, 2012, please join members of the ME/CFS, Lyme and MCS communities in saying “Thank you; We love you; Goodbye,” to our beloved community leader, Rich Van Konynenburg.
We will be joined by Rich’s wife, Diana; Dr. Neil Nathan, who worked with Rich on his Simplified Methylation Protocol; and Dr. Derek Enlander, who has known Rich for over a decade — as have many of us.
Together, as a community, we will gather to grieve, mourn and begin to heal from this deeply felt loss. And the loss is substantial. Rich was a well-known community leader, a man who posted thousands of health and research related messages on the various ME/CFS, Lyme and MCS forums and listservs — all about trying to help us, to alleviate our suffering, to make our lives better.
Rich was the most accessible researcher we ever had, unfailingly answering our thousands of questions and concerns, not just because this was an intriguing scientific puzzle but because he cared about us. His wife Diana recently described how his large office overflows with papers, spilling out into the next room. Many of those stacks of papers are our test results that he tirelessly analyzed for us, without asking for anything in return, just so he could help us understand complicated situations and decide complex next steps in recovering our health. Diana describes how Rich would come to the dinner table at night and talk about his research discoveries and understandings, and how he’d be so happy when he could make our lives a bit better — and how he’d be deeply sad when he witnessed our suffering. He would weep when we wept, he would rejoice when he could help us. And there are many people he did help, both through his scientific analysis and his compassion.
Join us at this memorial service to tell us what Rich meant to you. Share your memories and personal stories of Rich, and read excerpts from emails/posts he sent you. This small act of sharing will help all of us grieve our loss and allow the healing to begin.
WHAT: Memorial Service for Rich Van Konynenburg, researcher and leader in the ME/CFS, Lyme and MCS communities.
WHEN: Sunday, November 18, 2012. At 2 pm EST USA; 11 am PST USA; 7 pm London/GMT. We’ll end the memorial after everyone who wants to share has had a chance.
WHO: Especially welcome are those from the ME/CFS, Lyme and MCS communities. However, this is also open to anyone anywhere who wants to join us in remembering and honoring Rich.
WHERE: This memorial service will be held as a telephone conference call. Call in using a landline telephone, mobile phone or computer phone. So even if you are bedridden in California, the UK, Australia or anywhere, you should be able to join us if you can use a phone to call the USA.
HOW: The conference call dial-in phone number is: 805-399-1000. When prompted, key in the Participant Access Code: 997436#. The call will cost the normal fees associated with a long distance phone call to the USA, and no more.
INTERNATIONAL CALLERS: Consider using an international calling card. Or if you have Skype, go to your Skype account and click on “Call phones” and it will allow you to pay for the call. If you do not have Skype, you can download a free account at Skype.com. There, read how to buy Skype credit for making outgoing calls (that you would pay for). Or read how to buy Skype “Pay As You Go” minutes. Do all this prior to the day of the memorial service. After you select one of these options, on the day of the memorial service you will dial in to the conference call by using the same phone number (805-399-1000) and the same Participant Access Code (997436#) as listed above. NOTE: Calling from your mobile phone to join the USA conference call may be much more expensive for international Skype users than calling from a landline phone. Plan accordingly.
PLEASE SHARE: On the call, you will have an opportunity to “raise your hand” to indicate you wish to speak. Please keep your sharing to under two minutes, so all who wish to share can do so.
RSVP: There is no need to tell us you are attending, just come!
QUESTIONS: Contact Rivka(at)ThatTakesOvaries(dot)org