Funny, charismatic and often an inspiration to others, for almost two decades Patrick battled an illness his doctors couldn’t fix and his country has essentially ignored. Patrick was, by all accounts, what doctors might call a ‘good’ ME/CFS patient; he worked hard on the physical side, trying the different protocols available, and on the mental side- to glean what goodness he could out of a life spent wrapped in illness. In the end, though, the disorder proved to be too much.
A straight A college student and successful entrepeneur prior to becoming ill Patrick’s death was a sobering reminder that talent and gifts are no bulwark against the devastation this disorder can cause.
Rivka has organized a memorial service for Patrick. Join Patrick’s family and other patients for an online memorial service to Patrick
- WHAT: Invitation to Patrick Kelly’s Memorial (and Healing) Service, via a telephone conference call.
- WHEN: Sunday, May 6, 2012, at 3 pm EST (which is 12 noon PST; 8 pm London time; 7 pm Greenwich Mean Time).
- WHO: Anyone in the ME/CFS/Lyme community moved to join us. We’ll also welcome Patrick’s father and close friends from both on and off the forums.
- HOW: Conference Call dial-in to this USA phone number: 1-218-862-1300. Then you must punch in the Conference Code: 840957
- RSVP: None required.
- COST: No charge to call this phone number, except whatever your own phone service will charge you.
- QUESTIONS?: Contact Rivka (at) ThatTakesOvaries (dot) org
From Rivka’s post:
Last week we lost a wonderful man, Patrick Kelly (aka “hubcap_halo”), to this horrific illness that so many of us struggle with. Patrick was an amazingly supportive and upbeat man who was constantly striving to move in a positive direction towards health and wellness, along with the rest of us.
We understand how hard Patrick’s life must have been, living a decade and a half with ME/CFS/Lyme — so hard that he finally decided he was better off not struggling any longer. This was a shocking and deep blow to all of us, even if we did not know Patrick personally. As individuals and as a community, it will take us time to grieve and heal.
Please feel free to join us as we begin to do just that at this Memorial (and Healing) Service for Patrick Kelly, where we will fondly remember our much loved community member.
Since you did not need to have known Patrick personally to feel the impact of his loss, you also do not need to have known him personally to now feel welcome to come to his Memorial Service.
During the call, those who wish can share a few minutes of fond memories of Patrick, or perhaps appropriate quotes from Patrick’s health forum posts over the years. There is no need to sign up in advance, just come ready to share if you want to.
NOTE: Unfortunately, our gathering will not be able to offer personal counseling services to those who are in need. But we sure understand the need! So we urge you to not give up hope and please seek help. For those feeling like the pain and suffering is unbearable, this is a good place to start: https://www.metanoia.org/suicide/
