Roger Chriss: Remembering a True Helper and Advocate
/By Pat Anson, PNN Editor
“Roger was a good friend and caring person. He will be missed tremendously.”
“May this dear, wonderful, kind man rest in the peace he deserves. Free of pain.”
“Heaven just got a great mathematician. Heaven's gain. Our loss.”
Those are just a few of the heartfelt tributes being posted online about PNN columnist Roger Chriss, who was a longtime advocate and friend to people living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and other rare diseases.
Roger died unexpectedly on May 2 at a hospital near his home in Kirkland, Washington. He was 56 years old.
Although Roger lived with EDS – a chronic and progressive disease that affects the joints, blood vessels and other connective tissues -- it’s unclear if that contributed to his death. His brother Neil says Roger experienced chest pains and drove himself to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a mild heart attack.
“He was given blood thinners as part of standard care. He was due to be released and suddenly collapsed and was found with no pulse and no blood pressure,” said Neil Chriss. “In trying to figure out what had caused the collapse they found he had lost a lot of blood internally, so they suspected this had to do with the combination of blood thinners and E-D related weakness in blood vessel walls.
“You should all know that my brother derived great meaning being part of your community. We talked frequently about E-D and the difficulties both mental and physical that go along with it. It’s sad for me to remember that he talked about losing people from the community being an all-too-often experience.”
ROGER CHRISS
Roger was an active member and strong supporter of The Ehlers-Danlos Society, where he co-hosted a support group for men with EDS. He was the first recipient of the organization’s Community Advocacy Award.
Roger grew up in Westchester County, New York where he developed an early interest in mathematics, music, computers and foreign languages. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1987 with a major in East Asia studies. He later earned a Master’s degree at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and remained there as a faculty member.
Roger was fluent in Japanese, Spanish, French, Latin and other languages. He was a prolific writer and authored two books that reflected his diverse interests: "A Comedy of Time" and "Translation as a Profession."
Roger became a columnist for PNN in 2017 and later joined our board of directors. I can honestly say I learned something new from every column that Roger wrote, whether he was debunking myths about the opioid crisis, challenging the hype about medical cannabis, or advocating for more funding of rare disease research.
I admired Roger’s dedication to the truth, in an age when misinformation, hype and political dogma drives too much of the news coverage about healthcare. He brought an abiding concern about patients to every issue he wrote about, and a farsighted view of where it might take us.
In recent years, Roger posted almost daily on Inspire, an online health community for patients, where he supported and made many friends in the EDS and rare disease community. He used the screen name “Seshet” – a variation on the name of an ancient Egyptian deity of wisdom, science and mathematics. It was a fitting nickname for Roger.
“Seshet was truly a guiding light to me and so many others through this pandemic,” one poster wrote. “I’m sure he is in heaven calculating the probabilities of why this happened to him, but I know in his core he understood the unpredictability of life.”
“While his life was too short, his life had great meaning. He was so very wise and generous with this community, a true helper, which I believe is life’s highest calling,” said another.
Roger’s family is planning a private memorial for him. In lieu of flowers, they’re asking friends to consider making a gift to The Ehlers-Danlos Society. Click here for details.
