Obit: Sheree Martin

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Sheree Martin, who
served as our Hep B “list mom” from November 1998 to 2011, and who also
maintained the Hep B research list and archives until 2011.

Sheree, who lived with chronic hepatitis B for many years, was our mother
and guide in many ways. She provided a warm, comforting voice to all who
came to this list with their stories of isolation and fear and their
treatment questions. She was the one who constantly reviewed medical
journals to bring us the latest accurate information about hepatitis B.

She provided all of us with a place to cry, vent, complain and inform,
all the while conveying the reassuring message that no matter how hard
things got, she was there and she cared about you.

That message, that solid presence, was sorely needed in the early days of
the Hepatitis B Information and Support List. When it was created in 1998,
there was nowhere to go to discuss how to tell family members or loved
ones about our infection, how to tell a child she was infected, or where
to go for competent medical care when hepatitis B treatment was sorely
lacking and available drug treatments could be counted on two fingers.

Because we were so few in number, we could find no support group in our
hometowns to attend. So we journeyed through cyberspace to find this safe
sanctuary to share our hopes, fears and questions.

Shortly after the list was created in 1998, Sheree introduced herself and
within months she became co-list owner with list “Dad” Steven Bingham.
Sheree, who was 59 when she died, shared that she had worked as a nurse
and lived in Ohio, near the West Virginia border. Those lucky enough to
attend any of the early patient conferences organized by the Hepatitis B
Foundation met a warm, friendly woman whose gentle twang and no-nonsense
demeanor lived up to her email list persona.

“One thing that impressed me about Sheree was what a good writer she
was,” recalled Steve Bingham. “She was also the peacemaker of the List
and would often referee between John Kirk (the first list co-owner) and
me. I remember her advice for me was to count to 10 before I responded
to an errant list member or, better yet, sleep on it for one night before
responding.”

In one post to list members who were squabbling over a topic, Sheree
wrote, “There have always been only two rules on this list: Be nice to
each other and no promotion of brand name products … now some of you are
becoming dangerously close to being ‘not very nice’ to others. We don't
play that way here, and have no need or desire to argue with one another.
I, for one, have much more important things to do, such as enjoy life to
the best of my ability, and to learn through having an open mind. :-)”

Sheree brought great writing and in-depth research to the list. She would
peruse the available medical journal reports about hepatitis B studies
and post them to the research list, which stopped when Sheree retired in
2011. When a member asked a question about supplements or screening,
Sheree went to work researching the topic so she could provide a factual,
science-based answer, which were often few and far between in the early
days of hepatitis B in America.

She was our historian, our consultant, and our gentle disciplinarian. She
was a reassuring presence as an increasingly international membership
talked about lack of treatment options, cruel discrimination and
relationship stresses brought about by this infection.

Sheree was a woman who loved her children and grandchildren fiercely, and
we on the list were lucky to be included in her family.

Contributions, in honor of Sheree’s memory, can be made to the Hepatitis
B Foundation, 3805 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18902 USA

For those who are interested, below is a history of the Hepatitis B List



Source: Michelle in KY...  posted to The Hepatitis B Information and Support List

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