Claude Baril
July 10, 1948
January 4, 1999
Claude was a warm and caring man who helped
many people. Though he was a very busy
man, he always had time for his friends.
His sense of humor was contagious to all who knew him. We will all
miss this wonderful French Canadian and his encouraging and courageous
way of life.
Claude, fly free.
Wings of an Eagle
I am soaring as an eagle in the wind
There are no fears of falling because I know
the gentle breeze is there to catch me.
Life is no longer a mystery; I know why I
have lived.
The world is like a grain of sand and I can
no longer feel its pain...
Except for the sorrows of those who can not
feel the sun.
I hear the crying souls left behind.
They do not understand.
I have truly not departed as you think I have,
for I am everywhere.
I am in the smile of a new mother and in the
laughter of the playful child.
My soul is in the sparkling dew on the Morning
Glory
And in the pinecone that has fallen to the
ground to be nurtured and to begin again.
The air I breathe takes me to a new and wonderful
level of consciousness
I have wings of an Eagle
I have an eternal soul.
Watch me fly
Feel my love
I am free
ABOUT CLAUDE BARIL
Compiled by his friends on the list.
Like most of those newly diagnosed
with alpha1-antitrypsin
deficiency, Claude Baril found
himself and his family alone
with this disease. In
his own words: "For years, I suffered
from being far away from other
Alphas. I live near Montreal,
and except for my brother, did
not know any other Alphas.
I did not have any input from
peers on how to deal with alpha
issues; I did not know any experienced
Alpha to whom I
may ask questions, or just
share the good and bad things
happening to me. I did
not find any electronic support on
the Internet or on-line services."
During the winter of 1994, while
Claude was in Florida (due
to alpha1 related health reasons),
he found a software
program on the Web which would
allow him to run his own
bulletin board system (BBS)
from his home. He started the
BBS upon returning to Quebec
and became the first Internet
provider in his country village.
He had about 40
"customers" and one phone line.
He then found an add-on
that would make his BBS a mailing
list. But he had no
subscribers.
Along came Lynda who read an
article he had in
an alpha1 newsletter and she
put him in touch with Robin
from England. Again in
Claude’s own words:
"Robin was the first subscriber
and his first message was:
‘Claude, it works!’. I
had tears in my eyes."
In just a little over 2 years,
the Alpha1 mailing list had
grown from 3 to almost 300 subscribers.
Since then Claude
has helped start the COPD List
with Paul Marks, the COPD Chat
list, the Second Wind Lung Transplant
Mailing List, the
ASSIST List for caregivers of
those with lung disease, pre
and post transplant, the Alpha1
UK support list, and the
Alpha1 Liver Affected Family
Network List.
Claude was instrumental in creating
the Alpha1 National
Association web site (http://www.alpha1.org)
and has his own
web site at http://www.alphalink.org.
He was the first person to sign
up for the EFFORTS (Emphysema
Foundation For Our Right To
Survive) support and advocacy.
list.
We are sure there would be a
presence for us on the Internet
if it wasn’t for Claude, but
to what extent, we will never
know. Claude has done
much to aid the alpha1 and COPD
communities and to bring those
of us with breathing problems
together so we can have others
to talk to and learn from.
We owe Claude a debt we can
never repay.
Thank you from your friends.
Update
On October 5, 1998, after
two false alarms, Claude was
called to receive his new
lung. The transplant was
successful!!
In December 1998, he
started to reject the new lung so
was given an anti-rejecion
drug. His immune system was
so low that he developed
a viral infection. His kidneys
eventually shut down.
On January 4, 1999, Claude
passed away.
God looked around His garden
And saw an empty place.
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put His arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God's garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering,
He knew you were in pain.
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough,
And the hill so hard to climb.
So He closed your weary eyelids,
And whispered "Peace Be Thine."
It broke our hearts to lose you,
But you did not go alone;
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.
Author unknown
Submitted by Barb (from Michigan)
Thu, 28 Jan 1999
All the condolensce letters written to Claudes
family (nearly 140) have
been printed, bound and sent to them.
Thank you John and JoAnn Strong!
These letters were written by members of several
groups. Special thanks
to Dave and Sandra from the Alpha1 UK, Evelyn
from ASSIST, Paul from
Alpha1 and COPD, Gary from EFFORTS, Dick from
Second Wind, and others
who helped to compile these letters including
Mickey W. and Bobbie from
EFFORTS.
To all members: I can imagine how Claudes
family will feel when they
read these warm and loving letters.
They will always know how much we
loved and appreciated Claude.
Sharon Adkins
