A Tribute to Pat Smith and the LDA
It is with deep sadness and a profound sense of loss that we share the news of the passing of our dear friend and long-serving President of the Lyme Disease Association Inc, Patricia V. Smith. She died peacefully on August 17, 2024, under hospice care, with her family at her bedside. Those of us fortunate to have worked closely with Pat may have started as fellow advocates, affiliates, colleagues or board members, but we quickly grew to also become her friends. We saw ourselves as her extended family and Pat always treated us as if we were.
To say she was a powerful force for good in the Lyme disease community is an understatement. Backed by her husband, Rich, she traveled the country, connecting with people, communities, and government agencies. We all knew that her phone never stopped, especially when an affiliate member needed help getting good Lyme legislation passed in their state. She pointed out the stumbling blocks and landmines in the proposed bill, as well as the good points. She was an amazing teacher.
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Pat served two terms as a public member of the HHS Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG). Her accomplishments in the group included serving on several subcommittees. She co-authored and contributed to several significant documents within the group. She was involved with the US Army and Congress in various endeavors.
Pat was a founding member of ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society). She was also a member of the Chronic Lyme Expert Panel of the on-line journal “Contagion: Infectious Disease Today.”
She was always committed to helping children and families, directly or indirectly.
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​The ABC’s of Lyme DiseaseTM brochure is very helpful to give out to members of Child Study Teams at school meetings as well as to parents to begin teaching them about the effects of Lyme on students. The LymeR PrimerTM (translated to Spanish in 2020) features 20 tick-borne diseases, prevention, symptoms and tick identification. At last count, over 2.5 million educational items have been distributed!
Always thinking of children and families, she worked with author Amy Tan on creating LymeAid 4 Kids (LA4K). This fund helped pay for diagnosis and treatment for children with Lyme and tick-borne disease and whose families have financial difficulties. LymeAid 4 Kids has, to date, awarded over $475,000.
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Those who knew Pat understood that whatever she would undertake would be right and just. She never compromised her principles. If she learned that something was not honest or in pursuit of justice, she would walk away. We could all count on her having the highest integrity and being a brilliant thinker. Our standards became higher under Pat’s influence.
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​We will truly miss our beloved friend, mentor and leader. We will carry her in our hearts and in our lives. Thank you Pat Smith for making the world a better place.
An Excerpt from Pat Smith's Eulogy​
When I learned that Pat was gravely ill, I first thought of my loss - my friend, my mentor, my leader. Then I thought of Pat’s many accomplishments, focusing first on the ones that I was involved with - the first two annual LDA conferences, that wonderful pamphlet, the ABCs of Lyme, that I gave out at every school meeting, the professionally made video, used to educate teachers and other school personnel about tick-borne diseases., And, of course, there was the creation of the LDA Affiliates Network (LDANet), giving the leaders the opportunity to get to know one another, and learn what the other groups were doing.
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Pat’s integrity was very high, and she would settle for nothing less from us!
Pat was filled with big ideas, but she also made room for ideas that others brought to her. Here’s one big idea I brought to her in the fall of 1999. There was a conference to educate doctors and other medical professionals about Lyme disease. A dentist, Armin Manasar and I had the vision of a conference in the Hudson Valley, NY, where tick-borne diseases were highly endemic and the medical community was flagrantly denying the severity of Lyme, and the very existence of chronic Lyme.
The medical society in Dutchess County had betrayed us by canceling the promised conference at the 11th hour. We had the speakers, the location (Bard College), and the CMEs (thank you, Dr. Ken Liegner!) All we needed was funding.
I called Pat, who did not know Armin or me! Speaking with Pat’s daughter, I learned that Pat had just gotten back from the funeral of one of her parents. When she heard of the betrayal of the medical board, and the list of speakers, Pat took my call, and told me she was meeting with her Board that evening.
When I got home from my office that evening, my husband, Lenny said, “Who the hell is Pat Smith? She said you’ve got $10,000 for your conference!” Once Lenny met Pat, he, too, found her to be brilliant and inspirational, and they cared about each other. Lenny never complained if I needed to take a call from Pat in the middle of a movie we were watching!
Our two day conference at Bard became the first annual LDA conference. Pat understood the importance of this conference, and she gave us the support we needed! We had only three weeks to put this conference together. With 240 people in attendance, it was a huge success!
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I mourn the loss of my dear friend Pat Smith.
I mourn the loss of her excellent conferences.
I mourn the loss of the LDA Affiliate Network, led by Pat.
Most of all, I deeply mourn the loss of Pat Smith’s time on this earth, all of the things she could have accomplished had she had more time.
To make a donation to LymeAid 4 Kids in Pat's memory, please click on the button below.
Rich Smith (Board member and Pat's husband), Lia McCabe (LDA staff and volunteer), Pat Smith
Pat Smith with Sandy Berenbaum
Pat Smith with Brian Fallon MD and LDA board members (Jeannine, Ruth, Rich, and Cory)
Pat Smith with Monica White, co- founder and president of the Colorado Tick-Borne Disease Awareness Association
Pat Smith with former LDo president, Phyllis Mervine, and LDo CEO, Lorraine Johnson
Pat Smith and Dr. Brian Fallon who co-chaired the annual LDA conferences
Pat Smith with author Amy Tan
LDA Affiliates Network
Pat Smith celebrating 20 years of LDA conferences (2019)