“Smile, my boy. It’s sunrise.” This was Robin Williams last movie line before he died. I often think of this line, Robin Williams, and my brother, Joey. Like Robin Williams, my brother Joey had a comedic timing and wit about him. Also, much like the great actor, Joey lit up every room with his smile. He was funny and kind to everyone. My brother Joey died from depression in 2016. He was 13 years old. He was everyone’s friend and loved by all who knew him. I was 11 when Joey passed. My world and my heart were shattered by my brother’s untimely death. My life became foreign to me. Two months after losing my brother my mom was battling cancer for the second time. Seven months after losing my brother, we lost our home in Hurricane Irma. I quickly learned how to suppress my inner turmoil to the outside world. Many days I was smiling on the outside while my heart was crying on the inside. I decided soon after these devastating losses and challenges that I wanted to pursue motivational speaking. I am comfortable in front of an audience and the message I feel passionate about is that “You Matter”. If I can share my story of love and loss and perseverance maybe I can help those who are experiencing the death of a loved one or those dealing with sickness or the loss of a home. I have spent my entire teen years homeless. We live in a five wheel camper on our property. Rebuilding a home is a long and expensive process. My life was once wonderful. Then it imploded. Now it’s about rebuilding; rebuilding my inner self and our home and it’s about repairing relationships and healing. I have lived through the best of times and the worst of time. Motivational speaking feels right to me. Taking classes to perfect my ability to deliver a passionate message to those suffering may save lives. As a nation, we have seen a decline in mental health. Many people like my brother suffer in silence. Joey was a straight A student and an athlete. He had many, many friends and a terrific sense of humor. My brother smiled everyday. I think it’s time to bring more awareness to the forefront through the arts. I will always carry my brother with me. He was my best friend. I will keep memory alive while pursing my hopes and dreams. And I will remind myself of Robin’s words as he played Teddy Rosevelt in the Night At the Museum movies. I will “smile” and face the new day with optimism and hope. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Matt Patterson

Hi my name is Matt. Travel is like a kaleidoscope. Both provide an opportunity to see the beautiful colors that make up the patterns and tapestry of life. They also offer moments of awe to focus on self reflection and to see oneself in the bigger scope of life. I had an opportunity to travel for baseball growing up. This gave me opportunities to meet fellow players and pro players. I learned the back story of people. While people who love baseball may appear very different due to varied ethnicity and cultural differences as well as socioeconomical status, all have the shared experience of the love of the game. My own personal growth as a player came from playing with a diverse group of players and by watching MLB players. I would study techniques and apply them to my game. This helped improve my game while also improving my relationship with people. I am Irish American and my best friend in baseball is Mexican American. I learned that while our cultures may be different in the home language that we speak and the foods that we eat, our values are so similar as are our parents’ values. One example is my mom’s love for me mirrored my friend’s mom’s love for him. I would love to have the opportunity to travel to other countries. My dream is to delve into my heritage by traveling to Ireland. Like the kaleidoscope in the shade of orchid blue I image the ocean waters one flies over while traveling abroad to be this color. Having an understanding of where I come from will lead to personal growth. I lost my brother to depression in 2016. Life has been very difficult as we were only 15 months apart. My hope is to become a motivational speaker to share my story of perseverance in the face of adversity. If I can just save one person from leaving this world, I will have accomplished a major goal of mine. I’d like to travel around the United States sharing the story of my brother and my love of baseball and how important it is to speak up if you are feeling depressed. My brother Joey hid his depression. If he had just told one person how he was feeling I believe he would still be here today. There needs to be more awareness in the area of mental health. Maybe this can come from me. The kaleidoscope has a violet undertone like the color of mental health awareness. I will carry my brother with me on my journey through life. I have a fighting spirit, and I have a desire to see and experience all that life has to offer. I believe travel and learning about other cultures will increase my knowledge and compassion for all people, which in turn, will aid me in increasing my ability to connect to others through motivational speaking. Thank you so much for your consideration. Sincerely, Matt Patterson

Caregiving was thrust upon me at the age of 11 when I lost my 13 year old brother to depression. On that day I lost my brother’s physical presence in my life. I being younger never knew a day in my life without my brother Joey. It was such a traumatic time in my life. So many days were filled with sadness and devastation. Two months after my brother’s death my mom underwent a double mastectomy and chemo. She then went to appointment every three months and then six month check ups having procedures to mitigate a reoccurrence. My father was struggling so much with losing my brother that he no longer really saw me or my mother even thought we lived in the same house. I remember saying to him when I felt abandoned, “I’m still here . Don’t you care about me?” He just couldn’t cope, and my mom and I made an unstated pact to care for one another. I would take off of school to go to all of my mom’s doctor appointments. We live an hour away from her oncologist so I would miss school to be there to support my mom. It wasn’t always easy because I was struggling too. There was this fear that I would lose my mom too. All of this impacted my journey to where I am now. In September of 2017, my family lost our house in Hurricane Irma. We are still homeless from Irma. My entire high school years were spent in a five wheel trailer on our property hoping and praying that our house would be rebuilt and possibly our lives. You never get over the death of a loved one. Our entire family structure was shattered from my brother's passsing. I was unsure if my mom was going to make it after her cancer diagnosis. Losing our home added to the trauma and difficulty of trying to be like the other students in my school. There were days that the weight of everything was more than I felt I could handle especially losing my best friend, my brother Joey. If I can share my story from a sibling perspective and can save just one person from leaving this world, I will have accomplished one of my goals. My brother Joey was an athlete, a straight A student, and great friend to so many. He hid his depression from the world. Suicide is increasing in today's youth. There needs to be an awareness in the area of mental health. Maybe that awareness can come from me. I also have learned through this life changing experience to live life to the fullest. I accept invitations and challenges. There is a part of me who will always remember what rock bottom is, but that same person has a fighting spirit to experience all that life has to offer. I will also pursue a degree in the social sciences to create a future for myself. My father is a retired firefighter and my mother has been a middle school teacher in the same school for 27 years. I feel that I can work towards the career of firefighting and the motivational speaking career simultaneously. I will continue to make my parents and my community proud. There is a saying “Hope is the anchor of the soul.” and I believe this because sometimes hope is all we have. My Mom’s cancer is finally in remission which has allowed me to focus some on my our life. Thank you so much for your consideration. Sincerely, Matt Patterson

Hi, my name is Matt. In 2016 I lost my brother Joey to depression. Joey was 13 years old and I was 11. In February of 2017, two months after losing my brother, my mother underwent surgery for breast cancer and radiation as this was her second bout with breast cancer. In September of 2017, my family lost our house in Hurricane Irma. We are still homeless from Irma. My entire high school years were spent in a five wheel trailer on our property hoping and praying that our house would be rebuilt and possibly our lives. You never get over the death of a loved one. Our entire family structure was shattered from my brother's passsing. I was unsure if my mom was going to make it after her cancer diagnosis. Losing our home added to the trauma and difficulty of trying to be like the other students in my school. There were days that the weight of everything was more than I felt I could handle especially losing my best friend, my brother Joey. I have learned that your life can change in an instant. I see the world differently now, and I have an awareness about me. I look at others more closely now and when someone I encounter is struggling, I reach out to them. If my brother had just reached out to me, or my parents or a friend he would still be here today. I am pursuing a career in the arts; motivational speaker. Despite adversity, I continued my education and pursued my high school goals and achieved them. I carried a 3.7 GPA through high school even when my world became foreign to me. I participated in sports; baseball, lacrosse and basketball and school activities like video production and marine conservation. If I can share my story from a sibling perspective and can save just one person from leaving this world, I will have accomplished one of my goals. My brother Joey was an athlete, a straight A student, and great friend to so many. He hid his depression from the world. Suicide is increasing in today's youth. There needs to be an awareness in the area of mental health. Maybe that awareness can come from me. I also have learned through this life changing experience to live life to the fullest. I accept invitations and challenges. There is a part of me who will always remember what rock bottom is, but that same person has a fighting spirit to experience all that life has to offer. I will carry my brother with me on these adventures as the people you love are always with you. I will also pursue a degree in the social sciences to create a future for myself. My father is a retired firefighter and my mother has been a middle school teacher in the same school for 27 years. I feel that I can work towards the career of firefighting and the motivational speaking career simultaneously. I will continue to make my parents and my community proud. There is a saying “Hope is the anchor of the soul.” and I believe this because sometimes hope is all we have. Thank you so much for your consideration. Sincerely, Matt Patterson