Support Patrick's Recovery from Heart Surgery

Patrick is currently recovering from a quadruple bypass that took place on Valentine’s Day. Patrick began feeling chest pains on Saturday, February 8th that got progressively worse until Monday morning, while on the phone with his cousin Toby and wife Samantha, Samantha insisted that he get to the hospital immediately. Patrick was having a heart attack. Of course, being the independent man we know, he drove himself! The surgery was an open heart procedure lasting over 7 hours, where the medical team harvested and grafted arteries from his leg and chest to replace those no longer viable in his heart. His recovery period is expected to be roughly 3 months, where he is unable to push/pull/lift anything over 5 lbs. As you can imagine this is a huge leap in lifestyle for our strong and beloved Patrick who had been working 5 different jobs moving cargo, driving a forklift, night security, conducting family reunification mediation, and more.

As some of you may know, Patrick has been working extremely hard for the past 14 months since release from prison, to be fully present to the life available to him and to make a positive impact in his community.

In Patrick’s words: “For every pain I caused, someone is going to balance the scales with an act of kindness I performed.” This is not Patrick’s first set-back, yet his persistence, passion for life, and his gratitude for his freedom has propelled him forward, overcoming every obstacle he has encountered. Most recently, Patrick has been working all of those jobs so he could save enough money to get a place of his own, and move himself out of the temporary group housing where the conditions have not been conducive to a safe and healthy lifestyle.

Pat has made an invaluable contribution to the Transformative Justice Institute’s (TJI) Family Reunification Program (FRP). FRP supports individuals returning home from incarceration and their loved ones as they navigate the challenges of reentry. By addressing the common struggles faced by returning citizens (RCs) and their families, the program helps lay the foundation for a successful transition home. Drawing from his own experience of reentry, Pat offers families a rare and meaningful perspective on what it’s like to come home after prison, providing guidance, empathy, and unwavering support. That’s the kind of person Pat is—showing up for others, even while juggling several jobs, driven by a deep commitment to healing and transformation in the world.

We are hoping he can get back to that journey as soon as possible, but his main priority right now is to recover from the highly complicated and invasive procedure he survived. Our goal is to provide financial support for Patrick during his recovery period and transition back to full-time work. Your contributions will help cover living expenses (rent/utilities, food, transportation, etc) and the medical expenses that will be substantial (including doctor’s visits, medications, physical therapy/rehab, etc.). Your generosity will go a long way to ensure he is able to recover in a safe and healthy environment and get the ongoing care he needs to get back to his life’s mission.

If you are family or close friends who wish wish to support Pat in other ways, or send funds directly to Pat through Zelle, you are always welcome to do so. This (GFM) platform is wonderful for sharing widely and publicly to many international friends and others who want to help out to lessen Pat's financial burden while his family supports his recovery.

We are Family and Friends who love Patrick. Anita, Patrick's aunt; Kesho, Patrick's cousin; Sunil, co-worker with Transformative Justice Institute; Theresa, friend from Enneagram Prison Project... and on behalf of Patrick, We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. ❤️

If you would like to check out medical updates and progress for Patrick, that can be found on CaringBridge