After Triple A came and got it running the boys decided to
drive up to Office Depot to pick up some items needed for school
once it resumed after Christmas break. As Thomas backed out of
his driveway, Patrick went to his car to get a bottle of water
and his hat.

When he turned around he jokingly decided to have a bit of fun
so instead of just getting into the van with his friend. Patrick
decided to climb upon the front of the van, so being the kids they
were at 17 and 18 Thomas decided to give Patrick a thrill ride by
moving the van with him on the front. Thomas applied the gas and
the van began to move after a short ride.

Thomas then applied the brake which of course stopped the van right
away, but because the van is so heavy it stopped right away, which
was not the case with Patrick. The force caused Patrick to be thrown
off the van and he then fell backwards, causing him to loose balance.
He hit the ground with such force that the doctors later told us it
had split our son's head from ear to ear. This was not a nice sight
for any parent to see. However we got a phone call from Thomas'
parents telling us our son had been in a very bad accident and
to come right over to their house.

We arrived within a matter of minutes only to see a crowd of people
standing around. My husband and I saw our son's car and noticed
it was fine .. nothing wrong then .. we thought well maybe it was Thomas'
van. Thomas' mother then came up to us and told us where Patrick was ..
he was laying in the middle of the street with paramedics around him and
he was not moving or speaking. He was taken by ambulance to meet the
helicopter that flew him to the best hospital for his type injuries,
but they were unable to save our son.

His accident happened December 29, 1999, and he was said to be clinically
dead on December 31, 1999 .. with no brain wave activity at all.
We made arrangements on New Year's Day to bury our son.

That is one New Year's I shall not ever forget although we waited till
after to have his funeral. Might I add, there was standing room only at
our beautiful new Church .. with Patrick being the first of many children
to have a funeral there.

It has now been four years since his death and might I say not one day
goes by that I don't think of my son and wish he were here,
but God had different plans.

Please take time to tell your children do not get on the front of any
moving car or van .. it could end in their death as well.

One last thing our son was an organ donor .. he made this choice himself
and because of it might have saved as many as 60 peoples lives. Knowing
our son goes on in others is a blessing to us.

My husband, daughter and myself have been blessed by meeting the man
that received Patrick's heart and I have been able to hear my son's heart
beating in another ones chest .. which meant a lot to me.

Remember you do not ever think something like this can happen to your child,
so did I until that day. Now we go on without that smile beside us ..