The first time we met was at the second conference on user and relative involvement that GIP organized, which took place in a conference center in the middle of nowhere in the southern part of Sweden, with participants from almost two dozen countries in Central & Eastern Europe and the New Independent Sates. Saulius was there on behalf of the user movement in Lithuania, and active and eloquent guy with a strong sense of humor and invariably walking around with his guitar. One night with a multi-national group of people we kept our (British) chairman awake by singing "Oh, Britannia, Britannia rules the waves…" We had a lot of fun, our chairman was less amused.  

Saulius had been one of the leading figures in the Lithuanian national Sajudis movement, the leading force in restoring Lithuanian independence in 1990. Having graduated from Moscow Lomonosov University cum laude in economics and subsequently defended his dissertation there, he became a lecturer in economic theories at Vilnius Pedagogical University and later a senior research associate at the Institute of Economy of the Science Academy of the Republic of Lithuania. Among his many positions are those of vice-president of the private company Vilniaus Birža (Vilnius Stock Exchange, director of the Securities Department) and Commissioner of the Securities Commission of Lithuania. However, he developed mental illness and that fundamentally changed his life. After recovery his main goal became the struggle for patients' rights, and also here he was a charismatic activist, combining his love for life with a determination to make a difference. For the young GIP office in Lithuania he was an important supporter and contributor, and many activities in the field of patient rights were the result of his enthusiasm and determination. In spite of various setbacks he remained active and involved in a variety of projects. His terminal illness and subsequent death on January 19th 2010 is sudden and unexpected for many of us, and a great loss to the user movement in Lithuania and beyond. He will be sorely missed.    

Robert van Voren
January 20th 2010