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Lilady had a severely developmentally and medically disabled son whom she cared for with the deepest love and commitment I have ever known. She became a fierce opponent of state mental institutions that cruelly warehoused special needs people and fought tirelessly for their closure. She was the original Mother Warrior. Through her trials and tribulations along with other parents of special needs children, she "adopted" the son of a friend whom she helped care for until Lilady passed away.
Lilady's advocacy extended to the internet where she was a prolific commenter on vaccine and autism articles. She fearlessly questioned dubious stories, provided sound evidence to support her claims and was never intimidated by anyone. Her decades-long expertise as a public health nurse along with her experience with special needs children and adults and fierce passion made her a formidable foe of anti-science purveyors.
Our thoughts are with her and her family and hope they know how appreciated, respected and missed their Lilady will always be.
Thank you for this tribute to Lilady, Science Mom. We'll all miss her.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder whether lilady's family knows how many people appreciated her online. I would imagine there were plenty who appreciated her in the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteI too hope that Lilady's family finds these remembrances. I've been re-reading some of her comments around the blogosphere and thinking of our conversations. I will miss her.
ReplyDeleteShe will be missed, terribly. She was a wonderful online personality who staunchly fought to protect children from disease (and the rest of us from misinformation, misrepresentations and lies).
ReplyDeleteA fitting tribute to a tenacious lady
ReplyDeleteI wish I could say I had the pleasure of interacting with Lilady, but I find myself wanting to express my condolences nonetheless. From what I saw, she was a tireless fighter for the rights of disabled people as well as to protect children from the horrors of disease. May she rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteShe was a lady. No pushover, but a lady. She fought hard and long for her son and for others.
ReplyDeleteI will miss her.