I only met Liz Birt on one occasion but her dedication and commitment to the rights of children with autism was enormous. She left a permanent impression on me. I unfortunately must share this excerpt from the following obituary notice .
"It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our dear friend and colleague Liz Birt. Liz was a co-founder of the "Coalition for SafeMinds" and was an active board member of the organization. She also founded Medical Interventions for Autism, was a founding board member of the National Autism Association, co-founder and board member of A-Champ and helped with the development of Extreme Sports Camp in Aspen, Colorado. Liz was a principal author of Mercury in Medicine, the staff report released by the House Government Reform Committee in 2003 that for the first time brought together the background and evolving science concerning the toxicity of mercury used as a preservative especially in childhood vaccines."