In memory of Byron Hyde, MD
On Nov 17th, 2024, the M.E. Community lost one of its beloved founding members. A dedicated Doctor so rich with understanding and compassion for his desperately ill patients, that his absence will leave a difficult hole to fill. We mourn and grieve this painful loss.
Today we speak on behalf of the millions of chronically disabled & neglected people suffering with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis world wide and that doesn’t even begin to include all of the people who have heard him speak or teach, read his books, shared a flight or sat at a table next to him – all of whom were inevitably touched by his spirit and passion.
Dr. Byron Marshall Hyde studied pre-medicine in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
followed by a degree in Chemistry and Nutrition in 1961. His first medical employment was as an immunological research chemist at the Roscoe B. Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine - a leading world laboratory in immunological & transplantation research. He then became Chief Technician in charge of the Electron Microscope Laboratory at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
Dr. Hyde returned to the University of Ottawa and graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1966. After an internship at Montreal’s Hotel Dieu and residency at the St. Justine Paediatric Hospital and the Ottawa Civic Hospital, he opened a family practice in Ottawa that continued until 1984 when he started the full time study of post infectious Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. For five years he had travelled extensively around the world investigating the epidemics of M.E. in the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Iceland and spent the next several years being instructed by previous researchers of these epidemics. Only then did he start to investigate patients who had M.E..
Byron was a person who we would all readily describe as having intertwined qualities of compassion, kindness, loyalty, tenderness, sensitivity, and honesty. He was sympathetic, curious and patient, with a gentle and caring presence. He had a very generous sense of welcome and an astounding memory for people and events with surprising accuracy and detail, which made him a great scientist, Doctor and author.
Dr. Hyde was a true Renaissance man, with wide interests beyond Medicine: visual arts, poetry, horticulture, the list is endless as he was a life-long learner and writer. He led a very adventurous and interesting life, which he also wrote about when he was able, in between his prolific writings on M.E..
Dr. Hyde is survived by his beloved wife Lone, and his children and grandchildren, to whom we send our deepest condolences. We also wish to send condolences to Lenka, his devoted assistant at Nightingale Research Foundation. This great man will be deeply missed by all who knew him. His passing is a major loss to the M.E. community worldwide: patients, carers, researchers, colleagues, and beyond.
This loss leads us to the question; what is the call for us going forward? We believe we are called to trust that with Byron’s spirit in our hearts and our many wonderful memories of him, we can live our friendships and community life with a little less loneliness, a little more humour, a lot more tenderness and caring. And, finally, we are called to trust that all life, heartbeat by heartbeat, is an unconditional gift.
Donations to Nightingale Research Foundation in lieu of flowers would be appreciated.
Announcing the Most Comprehensive Book on M.E.
Understanding Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
By Byron Hyde MD
NIGHTINGALE RESEARCH FOUNDATION
WELCOMES YOU
OUR MISSION
The Nightingale Research Foundation is a Canadian registered charitable organization dedicated to the study and treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) and related illnesses.
We have been investigating M.E. patients since 1984. These thousands of case studies have formed the basis of our research into the causes and treatment for symptoms, and have led to a continual enhancement of our diagnostic protocols. We are now integrating the knowledge gained from this case-based research as we re-define the disease “of a thousand names”.
We collaborate with other medical organizations worldwide, and disseminate information to researchers, to the legal and advocate community, to healthcare professionals, and to patients and their caregivers.
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