Apr 25, 2016

Autism Awareness Month | Meet Patrick

Happy Monday friends! I want to introduce someone SUPER special today to you, and I can’t wait for you to hear about him. (No, I didn’t score an amazing boyfriend yet, stay tuned on that one…)

Today I’d like you to meet Patrick, my older cousin and my sweetest friend. Pat is a very special guy, and no one can walk away from a conversation with him without a smile on their face. There’s something else about Patrick I guess you should know, though is doesn’t define who he is… Pat is autistic, with severe mental impairments and strong OCD tendencies.

Autistic adult male wearing a striped shirt smiles at the camera while holding a reflector while standing in front of a fence and naturally lit tree in Columbia, South Carolina.

And you know what, he’s one of the sweetest and happiest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is around around 7-8 years old mentally, and his child-like view of the world has opened my eyes to so many things.

He comes to my house every Tuesday to “work at JHP” (aka rake my yard or watch TV with me while I edit). Ha! Last week I was able to bring him to a session as my assistant, and he LOVED it! He held my reflector for some important head shots of a client and was incredibly happy and polite, as per usual. Well, sometimes… lol

I knew I couldn’t skip  introducing you all to this special guy and bringing your attention to Autism Awareness Month. April is Autism Awareness Month, and if you’re interested about learning more about living with a family member with mental impairment, then I have some links for you HERE and HERE.

I love Patrick with ALL of my heart, and we talk on the phone everyday except Sundays at 1:09pm. Not on Sundays, because he is busy at church, duh. He has changed my life in many ways and truly given me confidence when working with clients with special needs. I’m so proud to be able to offer services to every type of client, the special humans and even the normal old boring ones. ;)

An autistic adult stands in front of a naturally lit tree holding a reflector in Columbia, South Carolina.

Happy Monday, internet! Isn’t he just the cutest, crazy kid?!

Jess

cheers

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