Dear Friends,

It is with deep sorrow that I write this to you; as I have lost one of the best friends I've ever had. Dr. Edward L. McNeil, known to his friends as "Dr. Ted" or "Teddy", lost his battle against Borrelia (Lyme disease) and Babesia infections on the afternoon of Wednesday July 11, 2007.

To know him was to love him; that's my perspective. And when you read these few amazing things about him, know that they're only a very few of the many, and see why it's so easy to love him and why this unique man will be so sorely missed.

I remember the day I met him, he was entertaining everyone with his songs and lymrics. He had many close friends in "the Lyme community", and those who knew him and those he touched, will find this a sad time indeed.

He was clever, quick and entertaining with his lymrics and rhymes and songs. He adored his son and three daughters. And had a great love of horses and of the arts. He loved to sculpt wood and made beautiful carvings of ballerinas and lovers among others. He was multi-instrumental and loved to play the bagpipes and other instruments and was on an album called (I think it was...), "In the Limelight".

Before he got too sick, we'd chat most days... and if you have one, you know how good it is to have a friend who understands because they're fabulous and so sick at the same time; they've been just where you're going and help you get through; never fatigued of friendship, always themselves and never having to apologise for it! Never guilty or obliged... Always uplifted... with a story or a "silly" or a song. And he had a big laugh; I'd call him just to hear it. And a sparkling, infectious smile you'd travel three thousand miles to see.

But that was his "Teddy-bear side", he also had a much more serious side; after all he was a doctor. And not just a regular old family doctor, but an incredible emergency room doctor, an airborne emergency doctor, and a surgeon in England and New York! He wrote the text, "Airborne Care of the Ill and Injured", which is based on his experiences of multiple international medical air rescues and was the first medical text of its kind. Dr. Ted also conceived of a safe form of basic life support or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation which is quite popular in Japan and the far East and catching on in Western Medicine as an alternative to the "Heimlich Maneuver" for choking and drowning; I liked to call it the "Teddy Technique". A great lover of flying, at age fourteen he got his glider license and at sixteen Teddy, "saviour of the western world", was in training for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. He enjoyed flying for many years and he also enjoyed being on the water; many of his friends will remember how he liked to sign some of his notes, "the ancient mariner".

Dr. Ted was a philanthropic volunteer; a humanitarian. Throughout his life he was a volunteer at the Bedford VFD, a member of the Advisory Committee to the Microbiology Department of Bowen Research and Training Institute in Florida, Medical Advisor for the American Red Cross, Honorary Medical Officer for the Bedford Police Department and he was involved in starting the first ever Neighbourhood Watch system for Bedford Village, he was advisor to many Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Medical Director of Corporate Angels Network, Medical Director of World Aid, Medical Advisor to Flying Doctors of Africa, and a member of the Aviation Safety Committee for Aerospace Medical Association, among various other volunteer activities.

In lieu of flowers:
Teddy would be pleased if you'd keep and enjoy any flowers intended for him, as well as a wee nip of your favorite spirit in a toast to his memory.

Dr. Ted believed that every human needs to be aware of the dangers of the tick-borne diseases because not only is diagnosis often delayed and no treatment recommended if you're not cured on the first try, but also there are no services available for those who continue to suffer symptoms.

Dr. Ted was an advocate and volunteer for sufferers of the tick-borne diseases, often helping children get to the doctor. Dr. Ted co-founded and was vice-president of WILDER Network, Inc. a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering awareness of tick-borne diseases on an international level, as well as offering support for individual sufferers. Please carry on advocacy and volunteer efforts in his memory. Support WILDER Network, Dr. Ted's favorite non-profit or yours; volunteer, spread the word.

Laureen Leigh
President
Co-Founder
WILDER Network, Inc.

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To learn more about Dr. Ted please visit his web site:
http://www.wildernetwork.org/drted.html

Learn more about Dr Ted's extensive medical career here:
http://www.wildernetwork.org/drtedCV.html

Throughout his life Dr. Ted was a supporter of and volunteer for many non-profit organizations, especially medical and research organizations and later in life, tick-borne diseases related organizations.

You may also wish to donate to your favorite non-profit organization, following are some organizations dear to his heart and where Dr. Ted was a supporter and volunteer:

Bedford VFD (Volunteer Fire Department) [Dr. Ted was an active member for twenty years]
Contribute to the Bedford VFD (or your local/fave VFD) .

WILDER Network, Inc [Dr. Ted was vice-president and co-founder]
All Banks of America (BofA) will accept deposits in any amount for WILDER Network, Inc.
Or just look for the paypal button on the web site: http://www.wildernetwork.org

Bowen Research and Training Institute [Dr. Ted was special advisor to the medical board.]
Bowen Research Institute in Florida accepts donations:
http://www.bowen.org/NewSite/index.html
*****

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A selection of poetry
from "A Span of Poetry" (1939-1999),
by Dr. Edward L McNeil

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E
v
e
n
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n
g


S
h
a
d
o
w
s

Evening Shadows
by Dr. Edward L. McNeil

Sharp shadows so long
spun on the lawns
by an evening's slant.
Peace follows toil
          in a garden world.

Birds come to roost
before the dragonflies
and lightning bugs
          stab their light.

Touches of laziness
spawns the nestling
     of warmer mites.

Trees no longer
     can hold the ball,
inevitably sinking
     to turn on night.

R

o

s

e

Rose
by Dr. Edward L. McNeil

Nae weep at the fall
of a single petal
a rose sheds, as it
hangs on to beauty,
counting the hours.

How frail, the last one
on a faithful stem,
falling with its pride,
having graced the head
of the queen of flowers.

The Endless Sky
by Dr. Edward L. McNeil

The unfathomable sky is still,
deep in its awesome blue as
sea for impermanent clouds
to cruise on courses
of meteorological magic
barometered and buffeted
by the isometric music
the winds would spill.
Somewhere, as the referee,
the moon hangs all decision
on how bright the sun can wash
the wavelength of mountains
and our own small hill.

S
p
e
c
i
a
l

P
l
a
n
e
t

SPECIAL PLANET
by Dr. Edward L. McNeil

Our moon visited and finding no harvest,
it thought far too near for real adventure,
only the first step on the galactic route,
our neighboring planets are then explored
only to find them inhospitable with dust,
unsuitable for growing vegetable or fruit

Perhaps, further out in our spinning galaxy,
we may find, somewhere, a touch of green,
but admit chances are extremely remote
that a planet can exist such as our own,
with waving corn, hills topped with snow,
streams rushing through lush valleys, spilling
into bountiful seas: forests that are here known
to be ungratefully plundered, some unwilling
to see the galaxies spin for our own delight,
painting our night skies with shining diamonds.

It seems taken for granted we fully deserve
the privilege to spoil and destroy the Earth,
our blue ball, as if it was Man's own right.

The universe will miss our blue planet more
than planets that, long ago, disappeared,
because, for billions of years, there appeared
our beautiful, livable ball, forever changing,
negligence demonstrating it is not endeared.
McNeil 2001

M
e
e
t
i
n
g

Meeting
by Dr. Edward L. McNeil

Squatting sun-warmed on a step of rocks,
dreaming of the privilege of a meeting,
wrapped in lake sounds of gull cries,
loon and hawk calls, clouds in the trees,
a cool neck feeling the hair moving;
sensing shore scents, a soft cheek breeze;
prepared now to call a grand meeting
with me, of the lake, the land and sky.

m
o
r
e

b
y

D
r

T
e
d