14 / 36
14
The Lyme Times
entific and medical professionals, as well as support from the
community and patients throughout the U.S. Because of her vast
knowledge and professionalism, Phyllis was repeatedly asked to
serve on various state and national governmental Lyme disease
committees.
Producing The Lyme Times
To produce the earlier Lyme Times editions, Phyllis had to
make frequent one-hour round trips from home to get computer
time, working on computers at her husband’s office and at the
local environmental center. Later we were able to purchase a
couple of computers for LDRC, but still encountered glitches
along the way. Phyllis' home power sources were hydro and solar
power. During a Winter 1992 drought, there were times when the
Mervines didn’t have enough water or sunlight for their computer
to power up. This situation was not amusing at the time but now
is laughable.
Phone calls, faxes and mailing costs were extremely high in
those years. Mail turnaround could also greatly delay work on
any project. But gas was relatively cheap and our time was free.
We met frequently with average two-hour round trips to swap
floppy disks and review hard-copy work. Because we needed to
lower production and mailing costs, we switched to a newsprint
layout after studying many newsletters, publications and font
books. We used that updated version for a number of years. I am
thrilled to see how
The Lyme Times
has morphed over time to the
current journal complete with cover.
Spreading the word
The 1990's was an exciting and energizing time. Besides pro-
duction of
The Lyme Times
, the LDRC held regional medical con-
ferences and many public forums. We undertook numerous other
educational programs, including hospital grand rounds and em-
ployee safety programs. Support group leaders from throughout
the country participated in trainings that we organized and fa-
cilitated.
In 1996, the chairman of the VII International Conference
on Lyme Borreliosis in San Francisco asked us to organize the
medical continuing education component. During that con-
ference, the LDRC held a wine-tasting reception for author Polly
Murray, the Connecticut mother who in 1975 first brought the
"mysterious illness" to the attention of public health and medical
professionals. Efforts by people like Polly Murray, support group
leaders like Betty Gross, Westchester County, NY, Thora Graves,
Sonoma, CA, Linda Goffinet, Stanford, CA, Betty Owens, Santa
Rosa, CA and many others provided me with ongoing inspi-
ration. It is rewarding to see that the nationwide network we all
struggled to support back then is now achievable through the use
of the Web.
A final reflection
My LDRC experience dramatically changed my life for the
better. We formed lasting relationships. While some of the same
individuals who were around 25 years ago are still involved in
Lyme advocacy and education, that number has dwindled. Only
a few have plodded on year after year. Phyllis Mervine is one
of those individuals. It is my greatest hope that soon there will
no longer be the need for all of her efforts. I don't want to get
another call in 2039! But I do continue to look for ways to con-
tribute in this new technologically-driven era.
Advice? If you, a family member or friend has energy and
time to volunteer, please look for ways to help. You can do this
at a local, state or national level. Finally, donations are needed to
fund research and advocacy. Contribute if you can.
LDRC’s “Meet the Author” reception, held for Polly Murray during June,
1996, VII International Conference on Lyme Borreliosis. L to R: LDRC
board member Jim Katzel, MD; Linda Hildebrand; and Betty Gross,
founder of Westchester County (NY) Lyme Disease Support Group.
Northern Sonoma County’s
premier publication printer,
offers our congratulations to
The Lyme Times
&
LymeDisease.org
on their 25
th
Anniversary