May/June 2013 (news)

Seattle, Washington - Patrick spoke in Seattle during the TOYA Event for the Ten Outstanding Young Americans. Patrick was one of the recipients of the award for his work with Blessed to Survive. Patrick routinely shares his story of triumph over tragedy and gives away free copies of his book to victims of tragedy as he counsels them with a message of hope. Patrick's message in his acceptance speech was that people need to change their assumptions of others and assume the best in people - assuming that everyone has a legitimate reason for the way they are acting. In this way, we can feel more comfortable to share our own stories of facing and overcoming challenges, which lets others know that they are not alone in facing their struggles.