It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of former SafeMinds board member Katie Weisman. Katie left us after a courageous 8 year battle with cancer. She leaves behind triplet sons who developed autism as toddlers, her husband Doug, and many friends in the autism community who are forever grateful for her contributions to autism advocacy and science.
Over the years, SafeMinds was lucky to have Katie involved in our mission. She served on our board from 2009 to 2018. She showed a deep understanding of and commitment to finding the environmental causes of autism and underlying mechanisms that might yield to treatments. Katie observed a connection between mercury exposure and her sons’ development of autism. Katie not only paved a successful path for her boys with her advocacy but for countless other children who would follow in their footsteps.
Katie also served on the SafeMinds Communications, Government Affairs and Environmental Committees, and she joined us as a valuable senior staff member. She played an invaluable role in every endeavor she undertook. Anyone who worked with Katie instantly recognized her selflessness, intellect, capacity to understand science, patience, tenacity, and humility. Simply put, Katie was one in a million.
Katie lived in Mount Kisco, NY, a community she deeply loved. She was heavily involved with their Beautification Committee. Katie also volunteered for the Bedford Central School District, Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTO) and Bedford Autism Spectrum Support (BASS).
Recently, Katie made important contributions to Children’s Health Defense. Her family requests that in lieu of flowers and to honor Katie’s memory, donations be made to the Katherine G. Weisman Fellowship at Children’s Health Defense. The annual fund will allow others to continue the scientific writing, research and analysis at which Katie excelled.
Goodbye Katie. You will be forever in our hearts.
