Feeling like I was on a sinking ship, I poured out my heart out to the voice on the other end of the phone. I told him I found a doctor who would treat me for Lyme disease but he would only take cash, he was very expensive, a long drive from my home, and I would have to get a loan to pay for such treatment. I did not know how I was going to do this.

He asked me who it was and I answered. The voice asked, “Do you want to see Dr. Masters?”

I asked him if he was kidding around with me, and his response was, No, I can get you in to see him.”

“Yes,” replied the voice, “I am sure. I will call you when I have an appointment set and I will come and drive you down to see him.”

“Oh, you really don’t need to do that, you’re sick yourself,” I told the voice.

“No, no I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. With that, we said our goodbyes.

I imagined Dr. Masters, since he was a very important person, was too busy to see someone like me.

Days had passed when I received another phone call from my friend. “Guess what,” he said. “You’re now the patient of the most wonderful doctor and Lyme specialist around these parts!”

In the next instant I found myself yelling into the phone, “Woohoo! That is sweet. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU SO MUCH!”

I thought, “I must be dreaming.” Most doctors who treat for Lyme charge big dollar amounts and most do not even take insurance, let alone take a state medical card from another state. “This guy must be a good guy,” I thought. Little did I know, three years later I would owe him my life and he would lose his.

My friend gave me the date and time and before hanging up he told me where I could watch a video of Dr. Masters at a conference where he was a presenter. I reviewed the video and to my surprise I found myself laughing right out loud at some of the things he said in his speech. Wow, he was so witty and smart, I clung on every word. (“Just think, I was actually going to get treatment from someone who discovered a new strain of Borrelia. Lucky me!”)

I did a lot of research about Dr. Masters so he would know I did my homework when we met. I scurried around on the Internet like I was a squirrel collecting nuts. I knew in my heart this doctor was different and would not roll his eyes and make claim I was crazy when I told him all my symptoms. Being a widow has been so hard at times, but now I could rest assured, knowing my three sons would not have to live without their mom too.

Dr. Masters achieved many accomplishments in his lifetime. Dr. Masters is best known for his work with ticks and people who have been bitten, which led to his discovering a new strain of Borrelia in the Midwest. We know it as STARI or B. lonestari. Masters told me he saw a need in this area for research because people were coming into his office with erythema migrans (EM rash) and presenting with Lyme-like issues. Always thinking of his patients, he improved medical equipment and holds seven U.S patents for his inventions. He published over 53 peer articles in prestigious medical journals along with presenting at medical conferences worldwide. Masters was a dynamic speaker and spoke not only to his peers but to general audiences, as well, making all feel informed. There are two remaining articles due out in July 2009’s issue of the “Missouri Medical”, a peer-reviewed publication.

Dr. Masters graduated from Advance High School and was the Class of 1965’s valedictorian. He went on to receive an A.B. degree from Dartmouth College, an M.D. degree from the University of Tennessee Medical School, and then on to complete his internship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. He also was on the National Board of Medical Examiners, American Academy of Family Physicians and on the Boards of Certified Family Practice and Geriatrics.

Dr. Masters was also the president of Cape Girardeau County Area Medical Society, speaker of the House of Delegates at the Missouri State Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Medical Association and chairman of EICS: Emerging Infections in the Central States Research Group.

One of his delights was being a judge the International Science Fair for high school students. He also took young aspiring medical students under his wing to mentor them, knowing they may hold the key to our medical future. He has helped guide them to become medical successes. His son, Reid has carried on the Masters tradition and became the 3^rd generation doctor, which made his family so very proud. I recall asking Dr. Masters, “What is Reid going to do, now that he’s graduating?”

Masters replied, “He’s going to do whatever the Navy wants him to do because they paid for it.” And with that, we both started laughing.

Among Dr. Masters’ other accomplishments, they included being president of the National Black Walnut Tree Association and Missouri Tree Farmer of the Year (he worked very hard to make new species of walnuts). He was known to have planted many walnut trees throughout his lifetime. He also developed and patented a FDA approved tick and mosquito trap called the “Skeeter Plus.” The Skeeter Plus does not use propane like other traps and is manufactured at a local plant near Sikeston, Missouri by the Dewitt Company.

The day finally came and I was just too excited to make room for being so sick. With my tingling hands and feet, plus approximately thirty six other odd symptoms, we made our way down the long 4 hour trek to Dr. Masters’ office. It was a lovely nice day in the summer of 2006 and my friend and I chatted about this and that until we arrived. In the parking lot my friend said, “Look at all the different license plates from all around the United States. They are here to see Dr. Masters.”

I was just so thrilled treatment was around the corner and soon I would start feeling well. Being treated by a master not only in name but reputation was the cherry on the top of the sundae.

As I sat in the waiting room, fidgeting like a small child, I kept going over and over in my head how I would greet him. Should I curtsy, after all I felt like he was royalty? No way, who does that anymore, I chuckled softly to myself. Should I call him sir or doctor, my palms were all sweaty. Oh no, they were calling me, I turned to my friend and asked if he would go in with me. As we were being led down the hallway, I tried to catch a glimpse of him, just to try to make some eye contact but he was nowhere to be seen. After all the preliminary testing the nurse said, “Dr. Masters will be with you in a moment.“

My friend tried to calm my nervousness, explaining that this doctor was not like most and that I had nothing to worry about. “He is just like you or me,” my friend said reassuring my angst. With that came a knock on the door, and I heard my mousy voice say, “Come in.” When the door flung back, there was the doc smiling and saying, “Hi Paul, nice to see you.”

Paul turned to look at me and said, “Ed, this is Dottie, the girl I told you about.” With that he turned his attention to me and extended his hand, “Hi Dottie, you can call me Ed,” he cheerily said. “I hear you got a nasty tick bite and are having some problems. You can get to feeling better, but it’s going to be a long, long road. I just want you to be aware that this won’t be easy.”

I took his hand and shook it very tight. “Hello, Dr. Masters. It’s so very nice to meet you, and thank you for helping me feel better.” I could see in his eyes that he was a very caring person and truly loved being a doctor. I held up a lime green shirt with black lettering on it. “This is for you,” I stuttered. “I heard you say it on a video and it is so good I just had to use it. We all wear them when we have booths at the fair and other events.” He held it up and read his own words: Data over Dogma, Evidence over Egos and Patients over Politics. EJ Masters, MD. At my very next appointment, he made sure to let me know that his beautiful wife Jackie loved the shirt so much she wouldn’t give it back to him! That is just too cute!

Over the next three years, I used to look forward the drive to Sikeston. I would spend days getting ready to share things with him so I wouldn’t leave anything out. The day I was heading down there my notebook would be ready, chocked full of notes to ask him. He knew I had taken up being an advocate so he would share stories with me. On many occasions, we would stay talking so long I am sure the next person would have thought he’d left for the day. But not once was I told to hurry up or treated unkindly.

Recalling one conversation, I brought up how old I was to remember that doctors once made house calls. He chuckled with delight and told me some stories about when his father was a young doctor. He said that back then “if a person only had some butter or corn to trade for services, then that is what the doctor took.” He recalled a story his father told him about receiving a chicken for payemnt for delivering a baby. “A chicken for a baby!” We found ourselves laughing so hard it became a running joke between us. When I would show up for my next appointment, I would tell him I had a chicken and two goats for payment this week, he’d say, “Oh good, tie the goats over there please and I’ll take the chicken.”

All kidding aside, no pun intended, Dr. Masters was really like that. One instance I recall, the friend who drove me down there to see him was having some problems with his insurance company. The company was stalling and did not want to pay for medical services. He told me he tried to pay Dr. Masters with his own money and Dr. Masters refused to take it. He said to my friend, “You will pay me when you can.” That is just what kind of doctor he was. If you were down on your luck, he would not add to your misery, after all he knew just how sick you were with these terrible tick-borne diseases. That is one of the things that made Dr. Masters a true master at his trade. He was truly “The People’s Physician.”

During a conversation one of my friends told me she was sick. She had a chronic cough she couldn’t shake and had been to several specialists. They did not know what was wrong after she had umpteen tests. Everything came back “normal.” She is the coordinator at our local college for dental assisting and she and her husband are known deer hunters. When I asked her if she had had a tick on her for an extended period, she replied that her husband took one off her rump about a year ago. I gasped over the phone and I told her it might be a Borrelia infection. I told her, “Please, if I can get you in to see the world’s best for this bacterial infection, will you go?”

When her testing came back, it was positive for B. burgdorferi. A couple of years later she called me up and told me her son had been bitten, developed the bulls eye rash and she knew what to do, thanks to me. She started crying, which made me start crying. She told me she was so very thankful to me for keeping up the vigil I have against this terrible disease. I told her most of my strength comes from being so angry and now two of my three sons are infected as well.

One haunting note Dr. Masters left with me, “Try and not be so angry with the doctors who do not treat over 21 days or treat at all.” He said, “It’s like this, think of them as ‘They are just plain wrong and you are right.’ Stand your ground. You still have to work with them, so just remember they are wrong.”

When I learned the morning of his death, my friend called and asked, “Are you sitting down?” Oh, I knew in my heart this was not a good phone call. The last time someone said that to me, my husband of 18 years died. “Dr. Masters passed away this morning,” the voice on the other end said. I sat in shock, especially to learn that it was Fathers Day and his 39^th wedding anniversary. We, at Peer Observations were working on a project with the doctor and that is how we learned of his passing that morning.

I know we all must leave this earth one day and we cannot choose which day that might be. However, it is difficult for the ones left behind who yearn for their loved one who took the journey before them. I think to be remembered and celebrated as such a fine human being is priceless, just as Dr. Masters was and continues to be. He made you feel like you were his only concern and he was all yours alone. I will continue to sing his praises just as always with the sweetest of tunes. After all, he belonged to the whole world, not just little me.

The whole world mourned the day he left and there seems to be a little less magic now in the world. I know in my heart he would want us not to be sad, not even for one moment, but to use his teachings, move forward -- turning the rain into sunshine, so his walnut trees can flourish .

You've been so kind and generous
I don't know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I'm in debt to you
For your selflessness, my admiration
And for everything you've done...©Natalie Merchant

Dr. Edwin Masters

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Dr. Edwin Jordan Masters, 63, a renowned and beloved family physician, died Sunday, June 21, 2009, the day of his 39th wedding anniversary and Father's Day.

Dr. Masters' life is celebrated for the incredible list of achievements accomplished during his lifetime. He loved being a doctor. Solving complicated medical cases was the challenge he relished most.

He spent the better part of his medical career researching, documenting and treating tick-borne diseases and was internationally known for his work with Lyme disease. His success led to the Centers for Disease Control naming a tick disease after him, called "Masters disease."

Dr. Masters was constantly thinking about how to improve medical care, which led to the granting of seven U.S. medical patents. His insatiable intellectual curiosity resulted in 53 major peer-reviewed articles accepted for publication in major medical publications. His last two articles will appear in the July issue of "Missouri Medical." Dr. Masters mentored many aspiring physicians and one of his joys was judging the International Science Fair for high school students.

Dr. Masters was extremely active in many professional organizations. He was president of Cape Girardeau County Area Medical Society, speaker of the House of Delegates of the Missouri State Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Medical Association and chairman of EICS: Emerging Infections in the Central States Research Group.

He was the featured speaker at many international and national medical conferences and received numerous awards for his research in Lyme and vectorborne diseases.

Dr. Masters started practicing medicine in 1972 in partnership with his father, Dr. E.C. Masters, in Advance, Mo. He then moved to Sikeston, Mo., where he joined Ferguson Medical Group for 13 years, and then had an opportunity to join Regional Primary Care and later Premier Family Physicians in Cape Girardeau.

Dr. Masters graduated valedictorian from Advance High School in 1963, received an A.B. degree from Dartmouth College, an M.D. degree from the University of Tennessee Medical School, and completed his internship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. He was a diplomate, National Board of Medical Examiners, a fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians, on the Board of Certified Family Practice and a diplomate in geriatrics.

Dr. Masters was also known as the "Tree Doc." He started planting walnut trees in his youth and continued throughout his lifetime. He worked aggressively on cultivating new species of walnuts and was president of the National Black Walnut Tree Association and Missouri Tree Farmer of the Year.

His love of and knowledge of nature was inspiring to all. He developed and patented a mosquito and tick trap approved by the FDA that is totally "green" and the only one in the U.S. not dependent on the use of propane.

The "Skeeter Plus" is locally manufactured and distributed by DeWitt Industries.

Politics was one of Dr. Masters' interests. He was a lifelong Republican and early in his career was very instrumental in getting a Republican on the ballot in Scott County.

Dr. Masters was most proud of his family. He delighted in their achievements and successes and was lovingly called "Papa Doc" by his grandchildren. He believed that his illness had a very positive gift and that was having more time with his family. His consistent optimistic spirit and love of sharing his passion for memory games was legendary. He often said the greatest asset he had in life was growing up in a small town and being raised, inspired and taught by two incredible parents.

His survivors include his wife, Jackie Ebaugh Masters, of Sikeston; three sons and daughters-in-law, Ryan and Julie Masters of Quincy, Ill., Drs. Reid and Jenna Masters of San Diego, Jordan and Abby Masters of Cape Girardeau; a daughter and son-in-law, Erin and Alan Cryer of Dallas; four grandchildren, Ayanna Askew, Lydia Masters, Anna Cryer and Ezra Cryer; and a sister and brother-in-law, Charlotte "Rusty" and David Newton of the "Happy Farm" in Advance, Mo.

Dr. Masters will be remembered not only for his list of achievements but also for his brilliant intellect, wisdom, integrity, optimistic spirit, perseverance in the face of great obstacles, humanity, love of his family, and his unique, contagious laugh.

Sikeston mourns passing of well known doctor

Tuesday, June 23, 2009
By Scott Welton ~ Standard Democrat

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Family, friends, former patients -- an entire community -- are mourning the loss while celebrating the life of Dr. Ed Masters today.

Masters, 63, died Sunday at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

"It's a loss to the world," said Paul Walters of Alton, Ill., a former patient of Masters making the three-hour drive for today's visitation. "He was an amazing person."

Rusty Newton of Advance, Masters' sister, described Masters as "a renowned and beloved family physician."

"He loved being a doctor," she said. "Solving complicated medical cases was the challenge he relished most."

One of the biggest challenges Masters faced was the one he is best remembered for.

"He spent the better part of his medical career researching, documenting and treating tick-borne diseases and was internationally known for his work with Lyme disease," Newton said.

Due to his extensive research on Lyme-like diseases and a critical discovery, STARI (Southern tick-associated rash illness) is also known today as Masters disease.

"It should be called Masters disease," said Walters, who is among the many treated by Masters for Lyme-like diseases. "Ed Masters is the one who isolated it."

Doctors from all over the country would refer their patients to Masters advising he was "the one man who could help them," Newton said. "People would call to try to get an appointment to see him and couldn't get in."

Some managed to track Newton down at her former home in Kansas City and plead with her to ask her brother to schedule an appointment for them. "And he did on many, many occasions," she said.

Newton recalled how when some patients were too weak to make the drive down here, Masters would drive to meet them at the airport.

"The first time I came to see the man I was just amazed -- I saw license plates from all over the United States in the parking lot," Walters said.

"I had been off work for years trying to find a solution to my illness," he recalled.

And when Walters' health insurance wasn't accepted, "he refused to take my money," Walters said. "He was probably the most decent person I met in my entire life."

Newton noted that Masters also made lasting impressions at another level as a mentor for many promising young students who aspired to be physicians.

Among these is Chelsea Grigery who is now in her fifth year of a six-year bachelor's degree/medical school program at University of Kansas City.

"I credit my acceptance into this program to Dr. Masters," Grigery said. "It is because of him that I am where I am today. I credit my interest in medicine and research to Masters because he opened up so many avenues for me and provided me with so much experience and support."

Grigery worked with Masters on Lyme disease research projects as both a junior and a senior at Sikeston High School in 2004 and 2005.

In the second project, "Dr. Ed was extremely influential in helping that to be a successful experiment," she said. "He used his contacts in the Lyme disease circle of researchers to connect me with the people to help me with this project."

Masters then helped Grigery get the work published in Missouri Medicine.

"I was the youngest author to ever be published in that journal - that is totally thanks to him, Grigery said. "He was by far the most influential person in my young adult life -- a phenomenal physician, educator, researcher. I view him as a father figure -- I was that close to him. Both he and his wife, Miss Jackie, invited me into their home for hours on end to work on these programs and never made me feel unwelcome. Miss Jackie is just a phenomenal woman, an excellent wife and mother and friend. They treated me as one of their own children. He used to joke that I was his fifth child."

"Dr. Masters was most proud of his family. He delighted in their achievements and successes and was lovingly called "Papa Doc" by his grandchildren," Newton said. "He believed that his illness had a very positive gift and that was having more time with his family."

"He always tried to make sunshine out of the rain," Walters agreed.

"Dr. Masters will be remembered not only for his list of achievements but also for his brilliant intellect, wisdom, integrity, optimistic spirit, perseverance in the face of great obstacles, humanity, love of his family and his unique, contagious laugh," Newton said. "He was my hero."

"Kind & Generous"

You've been so kind and generous
I don't know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I'm in debt to you
For your selflessness, my admiration
And for everything you've done

You know I'm bound...
I'm bound to thank you for it

You've been so kind and generous
I don't know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I'm in debt to you
And I never could have come this far without you
So for everything you've done

You know I'm bound...
I'm bound to thank you for it

I want to thank you
For so many gifts
You gave with love and tenderness
I want to thank you

I want to thank you
For your generosity
The love and the honesty
That you gave me

I want to thank you
Show my gratitude
My love and my respect for you
I want to thank you

I want to...

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you