Cruising for A Cause; Skater Stops in Abilene to Spread A Message
By: Marlisa Goldsmith
Updated: March 15, 2013
"If I did something that seemed so crazy and so out there like put on a pair of skates," it just may get the attention that Brian Patrick is looking for.
No, not for personal recognition, but national awareness of a disability that is affecting many.
He says, "One in every 88 kids is effected by it and it's no longer an issue, it's now a national epidemic," and one that Patrick can personally identify with.
"I knew I had Asperger's. I think everyone in my family knew it in a sense that something wasn't right. But I never truly addressed it," he says.
So now, he is taking his message to the streets, but not on your typical four wheels.
Patrick is rollerblading across the country, bringing awareness to all forms of Autism. He left Long Island, New York on September 20th of last year. In just four months, he made his way across the entire country, speaking to over 100 families along the way.
Patrick tells me, "I thought it was my responsibility having family members who are autistic and for myself, having a mild version of Asperger's, that I have a responsibility."
And a responsibility that he does not take lightly. He says, of course, he has turned a few heads out of curiosity, but there is nothing that will stop his mission.
He explains, "Once people got past the thought, okay, this guy's nuts and actually spoke to me or heard about what i was doing, and the cause that was involved, and the experience that i have, then they would say you know what? This guy might be nuts but he gets it, he understands and he's trying to do the right thing here."
No, not for personal recognition, but national awareness of a disability that is affecting many.
He says, "One in every 88 kids is effected by it and it's no longer an issue, it's now a national epidemic," and one that Patrick can personally identify with.
"I knew I had Asperger's. I think everyone in my family knew it in a sense that something wasn't right. But I never truly addressed it," he says.
So now, he is taking his message to the streets, but not on your typical four wheels.
Patrick is rollerblading across the country, bringing awareness to all forms of Autism. He left Long Island, New York on September 20th of last year. In just four months, he made his way across the entire country, speaking to over 100 families along the way.
Patrick tells me, "I thought it was my responsibility having family members who are autistic and for myself, having a mild version of Asperger's, that I have a responsibility."
And a responsibility that he does not take lightly. He says, of course, he has turned a few heads out of curiosity, but there is nothing that will stop his mission.
He explains, "Once people got past the thought, okay, this guy's nuts and actually spoke to me or heard about what i was doing, and the cause that was involved, and the experience that i have, then they would say you know what? This guy might be nuts but he gets it, he understands and he's trying to do the right thing here."
