Patrick Bonner Emergency Recovery Fund
Donation protected
This is Patrick and I am his older brother. Patrick is a fun, empathetic person. His compassion for other people led him to start working in nursing. All he has ever wanted to do, since we were kids is to help people. No matter the setback, he always ends up back at this goal. This is our story.
Patrick is 18 months younger than I am, exactly. When we were growing up, we shared a bedroom until we were both in high school. Like most working-poor families, our parents worked a lot. They had to, it was the only way that we were going to make. So, our grandparents, who were going through tough times as well, moved in with us and lived with us for most of our lives. At the ages 10 and 8, our grandfather- Eunie Lee, was diagnosed with terminal Lung Cancer in its late stages, after a car accident. Patrick and I spent the year taking care of him along with Hospice. We stayed home from school, came straight home from school, basically all of our time was spent caring for the man that cared so much for us. At the end of that year, we watched E.L. take his last breath and said our goodbyes.
This was the turning point in our lives. We grew up that day. However, Patrick felt this loss much deeper. He is the kind of person that can turn their feelings off.
Patrick came out as a gay when he was 15 years old. We grew up in a small town in central Florida and this was what we refer to as "Pre Will and Grace" times. As you can imagine, this was not easy for him. He dealt with bullying, threats, and even violence. However, he made it. He didn't let it hold him down.
Towards the end of high school, my brother was at a friends house. This was the kind of house that kids went to hang out, without supervision and let loose. You know, everyone had one of those when they were at that age. However, my Mother received an urgent phone call from the kid that lived there: "Patrick has been bitten by my dog, you should come and get him. I don't know what to do, he seems hurt but I don't want my dog to get put to sleep".
My Mom immediately went to pick him up. When she pulled up at the house, my brother was covered in his own blood, from head to toe. He had not just been bitten, he had been mauled. So, my mom rushed him to the hospital. there he underwent a plethora of surgeries and even had to get plastic surgery. His face was destroyed.
Patrick had always been introverted and not as outgoing as I was. It was understandable, he just felt too much and was made to feel different from a very early age. However, this mauling forced him to stay inside the house for almost an entire year. He could not leave, he felt like the monster everyone made him out to be.
In an attempt to recover medical expenses and to give Patrick some stability, we decided to bring a lawsuit against the parents who owned the house he was attacked at. This went to court. During the case, it was brought up that Patrick was gay. The defense stated that the reason the dog attacked him was because he was trying to molest the rottweiller. Well, it worked. My brother was not rewarded a dime for all that he went through: Because he was gay.
As you can imagine, this along with two violent relationships, put my brother in a bad spot. He started dabbling with drugs in his mid twenties.
Two years ago, my brother found his soul mate, Brett Alderman. These two were both wounded birds that felt the pain of the other more intensely than you or I will ever know. This pure love, however unconditional it was, led them both down a path of addiction. Brett was also schizophrenic and bi-polar, Patrick felt like his protector. They both wanted to get better but were never presented with the support and judgement free environment that they needed.
My brother left Brett to move back to my parents house. He did this to get himself better in order to help Brett get better. While detoxing, my brother got into an argument with my parents. My mom came home and caught my brother in the middle of a suicide attempt. This is what caused my parents to have him baker acted and he was sent to Lifestreams in Leesburg, FL. for detoxing
2 days ago, I had to call my brother in the treatment center to tell him that his partner, Brett, committed suicide.
Today, I am leaving for Florida to go and figure out the next steps for Patrick, with him. He has agreed to go to rehab and will be staying with me in Atlanta.
Patrick is a great person but growing up with discrimination, violence and lack of support- has broken him down to his lowest point. It is time to make that right for him.
My plan for the use of any donated funds:
$50,000- 90 day program at Talbot house to treat his trauma, mental illness and addiction.
Patrick is 18 months younger than I am, exactly. When we were growing up, we shared a bedroom until we were both in high school. Like most working-poor families, our parents worked a lot. They had to, it was the only way that we were going to make. So, our grandparents, who were going through tough times as well, moved in with us and lived with us for most of our lives. At the ages 10 and 8, our grandfather- Eunie Lee, was diagnosed with terminal Lung Cancer in its late stages, after a car accident. Patrick and I spent the year taking care of him along with Hospice. We stayed home from school, came straight home from school, basically all of our time was spent caring for the man that cared so much for us. At the end of that year, we watched E.L. take his last breath and said our goodbyes.
This was the turning point in our lives. We grew up that day. However, Patrick felt this loss much deeper. He is the kind of person that can turn their feelings off.
Patrick came out as a gay when he was 15 years old. We grew up in a small town in central Florida and this was what we refer to as "Pre Will and Grace" times. As you can imagine, this was not easy for him. He dealt with bullying, threats, and even violence. However, he made it. He didn't let it hold him down.
Towards the end of high school, my brother was at a friends house. This was the kind of house that kids went to hang out, without supervision and let loose. You know, everyone had one of those when they were at that age. However, my Mother received an urgent phone call from the kid that lived there: "Patrick has been bitten by my dog, you should come and get him. I don't know what to do, he seems hurt but I don't want my dog to get put to sleep".
My Mom immediately went to pick him up. When she pulled up at the house, my brother was covered in his own blood, from head to toe. He had not just been bitten, he had been mauled. So, my mom rushed him to the hospital. there he underwent a plethora of surgeries and even had to get plastic surgery. His face was destroyed.
Patrick had always been introverted and not as outgoing as I was. It was understandable, he just felt too much and was made to feel different from a very early age. However, this mauling forced him to stay inside the house for almost an entire year. He could not leave, he felt like the monster everyone made him out to be.
In an attempt to recover medical expenses and to give Patrick some stability, we decided to bring a lawsuit against the parents who owned the house he was attacked at. This went to court. During the case, it was brought up that Patrick was gay. The defense stated that the reason the dog attacked him was because he was trying to molest the rottweiller. Well, it worked. My brother was not rewarded a dime for all that he went through: Because he was gay.
As you can imagine, this along with two violent relationships, put my brother in a bad spot. He started dabbling with drugs in his mid twenties.
Two years ago, my brother found his soul mate, Brett Alderman. These two were both wounded birds that felt the pain of the other more intensely than you or I will ever know. This pure love, however unconditional it was, led them both down a path of addiction. Brett was also schizophrenic and bi-polar, Patrick felt like his protector. They both wanted to get better but were never presented with the support and judgement free environment that they needed.
My brother left Brett to move back to my parents house. He did this to get himself better in order to help Brett get better. While detoxing, my brother got into an argument with my parents. My mom came home and caught my brother in the middle of a suicide attempt. This is what caused my parents to have him baker acted and he was sent to Lifestreams in Leesburg, FL. for detoxing
2 days ago, I had to call my brother in the treatment center to tell him that his partner, Brett, committed suicide.
Today, I am leaving for Florida to go and figure out the next steps for Patrick, with him. He has agreed to go to rehab and will be staying with me in Atlanta.
Patrick is a great person but growing up with discrimination, violence and lack of support- has broken him down to his lowest point. It is time to make that right for him.
My plan for the use of any donated funds:
$50,000- 90 day program at Talbot house to treat his trauma, mental illness and addiction.
Organizer
Mis Looga
Organizer
Atlanta, GA
