LDA President’s Blog – Lyme Disease Association: We Miss You, Dr. Jones

Sometimes we are blessed to have great men walk the earth-men and women who devote their lives to helping others without thought for themselves.  Such a man was Dr. Charles Ray Jones, healer. He was honest, kind, courageous and had integrity, compassion, and humility.  His devotion to helping our children all over the country is unparalleled.  I knew him for decades yet never heard a complaint from him despite the many trials he faced in his life just trying to save the lives of our children.

He always had a smile and made me smile. I traveled to Connecticut and sat for many months during his hearings, where he suffered unjust persecution for only doing his job and doing it well. Perhaps that was part of the problem. Greed and ego were never part of his character, yet one could not say the same of many of his detractors. I went to support him. I think I needed the support. I was angry being forced to listen to what was said about this great man, yet his demeanor never changed as his whole life’s work was dissected and criticized in such a public, sterile, and humiliating way.

I knew what he was doing was so right and I wanted to stand up and protest the injustice and tell the officials who the guilty parties really were. I could not do that there, but I took strength from him. I was honored to be asked by him to go to the Connecticut Supreme Court where Elliot Pollack pleaded his appeal. For Dr. Jones, it was one more step he needed to take in a process that sometimes seems devoid of any humanity but is part of our justice system. I was proud of him and understood how difficult this must all be as it took so much time out of his life’s work.

I enjoyed being able to share his birthdays, going to Connecticut to speak on behalf of the Lyme community honoring him on his special day and meeting the parents and kids who came out to celebrate this great man. He wrote a piece for the LDA’s The ABC’s of Lyme Disease on children with Lyme ensuring that his clinical experience would never be lost to posterity. When author Amy Tan asked the LDA to consider a fund to help children get diagnosed and treated early, I turned to Dr. Jones to learn from his experiences how we should set up the process to help parents and their physicians be able to easily access the program and advice on what would the awards be in our LymeAid 4 Kids fund.

Dr. Jones will never be gone, he will live in the hearts of the parents, children, families, and all those affected by Lyme disease that he helped either directly or by standing strong in the face of personal adversity to fight against the grave injustice being done to children with Lyme disease around the world.

His humanity and courage will continue to inspire others to carry on his legacy. I know I will continue to try to bring to justice those responsible for this travesty that Dr. Jones tried to rectify, not only for himself but also for others in his profession and ultimately, for our children.  

May you rest in peace, Dr. Jones, healer, and friend.