WHO IS PATRICK IVISON
Patrick is the yin to my yang. The milk to my bone! We have a very deep connection, and if it wasn't for Patrick trusting in me, I may have never been able to live my purpose, or find my bliss.
When I met Patrick on August 20th, 2009, he was 14 years old. He had been in a wheelchair since he was a toddler. When he was fourteen months old, he and his mom were walking behind a parked car when the driver, who was arguing with his girlfriend, backed up suddenly, and ran over Patrick, pinning him under the car. The driver was un-insured. He suffered a C4-5 incomplete spinal cord injury, and was diagnosed as a quadriplegic.
But, that didn't stop Patrick. He was an active kid, and lives his life by focusing on what he CAN do, not what he can't. So, when I was no longer able to continue my service dog training due to my interest in chasing critters, Patrick was the first person we thought of for me to do a fundraiser for.
The original plan was to meet on the beach, and each of us would surf on our own separate board, but on the same wave. We wanted to use the footage as a promo for the fundraiser to show what we had in common. We rode a few waves like that, but then at one point when we reached shore, I jumped off my board, and onto Patrick's. I was making a statement. I was literally taking a leap of faith that someone would recognize what I was trying to say.
I wanted to surf tandem with Patrick! None of his water helpers had ever surfed a person with a disability with a dog on board. And, I certainly had never surfed with a person who had a disability. Thankfully everyone was open to my out of the box thinking, and agreed to give it a shot.
We were pushed off onto our first wave, and rode it all the way to the beach! It was epic! Watch the video below to check it out!
When I met Patrick on August 20th, 2009, he was 14 years old. He had been in a wheelchair since he was a toddler. When he was fourteen months old, he and his mom were walking behind a parked car when the driver, who was arguing with his girlfriend, backed up suddenly, and ran over Patrick, pinning him under the car. The driver was un-insured. He suffered a C4-5 incomplete spinal cord injury, and was diagnosed as a quadriplegic.
But, that didn't stop Patrick. He was an active kid, and lives his life by focusing on what he CAN do, not what he can't. So, when I was no longer able to continue my service dog training due to my interest in chasing critters, Patrick was the first person we thought of for me to do a fundraiser for.
The original plan was to meet on the beach, and each of us would surf on our own separate board, but on the same wave. We wanted to use the footage as a promo for the fundraiser to show what we had in common. We rode a few waves like that, but then at one point when we reached shore, I jumped off my board, and onto Patrick's. I was making a statement. I was literally taking a leap of faith that someone would recognize what I was trying to say.
I wanted to surf tandem with Patrick! None of his water helpers had ever surfed a person with a disability with a dog on board. And, I certainly had never surfed with a person who had a disability. Thankfully everyone was open to my out of the box thinking, and agreed to give it a shot.
We were pushed off onto our first wave, and rode it all the way to the beach! It was epic! Watch the video below to check it out!
When I first met Patrick, and was starting to fundraise for his recovery fund, his dream was to walk across the stage at his high school graduation. One of my sponsors, The Rose Foundation awarded him a grant to cover three years, which was over $90,000. With those funds, Patrick was able to attend Project Walk three times a week for three years. Through his determination, and the generosity of my donors, he walked across the stage in June of 2012. I was a lucky dog who got to sit in the auditorium and clap my paws to a standing ovation! Check out the video...
