Aid Mike or Pat Messerschmidt in His Journey to Healing

Hello,

My name is Val and I am starting this GoFundMe for my best friend, who some of you know as Pat or Michael Messerschmidt.

I met this man in 2007 in a bar in Chicago, and then on July 4th, 2009, he moved here with his dog for a new beginning. This stay was supposed to be momentary till he got back on his feet and could return to be closer to his daughter and father, who lived in the suburbs of Chicago; yet today 3/23/25 he is still in Fargo and owns a house and his pitty Zeus. He has worked in lots of restaurants around the area, but because of his personality (too much sometimes) and his kind heart, people will always know who he is wherever you see him. "YOU CAN NEVER FORGET PAT".

I am here today because he is going through a tough time due to medical issues. It started with prostate cancer, then broken ribs due to tripping over his dog Max, and now all the aftermath, plus his liver issues. Because of this, he's not been able to work for a long time, and this is causing him a lot of stress, which does not help the recovery. I know he will hate me when he knows I am doing this (he's sedated in ICU at this moment), but I feel I need to do something to help him, and unfortunately, I can't by myself. Currently, he is not only dealing with medical and financial issues, but he is also choosing daily to be sober off everything. Pat was the life of the party. He even has refused pain meds because he wants to be here to see his granddaughters grow up, and the meds could be a step back into his old lifestyle.

Because of the broken ribs, the Drs say he will be in pain for the rest of his life and might have to claim disability, which is a very hard thing for him since he will not be able to work, and work was his life. Work was where he met people, and you loved or hated him, but you could always count on him being the first one to start some kind of help for those co-workers who needed it, like collections for funerals or when some single mom was struggling. He is the kind of friend that would drop anything to help others and loves having people over to feed them with his great grilling and cooking, and most times all for free, except if you had to do the dishes or clean the stove (Ronnie). He made you feel part of his family.

So to be honest, I am here today because I feel it's time WE HELP HIM OUT and that way show him how thankful we are for everything he did and has done and I am sure will always try to do. He is the home meal on holidays when you don't have where to go.