HELP PATRICK TOMES' LEGACY:

"PATRICK PACKS"

Honoring Lisa Tomes' son

I have been an honorary aunt (and longtime caregiver) for Patrick Tomes much of his life, and a longtime friend of his mother, Lisa. I'm helping with this fundraiser to take some of the load off his mom's shoulders. We are raising funds to give hospitalized children with seizures a better experience with more fun and less fear.

Over his 21 years of life, Patrick Tomes was periodically hospitalized for 3 to 7 days at a time in Neurology. His neurologists hoped to record real-time seizure activity in his brain and to get clues on what treatment methods would work best for him.

Patrick's mom was right there with him, so she knew firsthand how it felt when her very active child was sequestered in a hospital room for up to a week. Thankfully, this intensive testing helped doctors to better treat Patrick's seizures.

During the testing, patches were glued onto his scalp to hold the wires in place. The wires tether the child to his hospital room for up to 7 days at a time.

Patrick eventually grew to be a 6-footer, but with the intellectual capacity of a small child—sweet but ornery--due to chromosomal disorders and seizures.

Over the years, Lisa figured out what to pack to make these hospitalizations easier and more comfortable for both her son and herself. But she kept thinking of those other families new to the process. She figured out a way to help them.

When Patrick was 17, Lisa chose "Patrick Packs" for his "Make A Wish" Foundation project. "Patrick Packs" are backpacks that contain an array of items that help make the lengthy hospitalizations more pleasant.

For the last 4 years, she has collected items, often during back-to-school or end-of-school sales, Black Friday sales, or by asking friends and her church family to keep an eye out for good deals.

Knowing Patrick had a short life expectancy, Lisa felt this project could be his legacy.

OUR SAD UPDATE:

Patrick died Monday at the Central Ohio Hospice unit at Licking Memorial Hospital. Now is the time to give his mother funds to continue the legacy that Lisa planned to memorialize Patrick's life and help children with seizures.

Lisa can work magic, not only with cash donations of any amount through this GoFundMe account, but also with direct donations of items from the following list:

* School-type backpacks (boys', girls', and neutral ones)

* Variety of stocking hats. These prevent electrodes from coming loose due to itching and irritation of the scalp from the glue.

* Assorted stuffed animals

* Notebook and pens

* Gift cards for parent meals

* Disposable body-wash cloths

* Hot/cold insulated thermos cups

* Blank note cards and stamps for thank-you notes, etc.

By the way--Some of the thank you notes were sent to Lisa and Patrick as families expressed their gratitude for a backpack full of items they didn't know they needed! Families said they used every single item.

Click on "Donate" for any amount. Small donations add up. If you prefer, bring items on the list or money donations to Patrick's Graveside Service or Celebration of Life. (Obituary below has details.) Or leave a message here for questions.

See comments below for PATRICK'S OBITUARY with details about a Graveside Service in September and a Celebration of Life in October.