Empower Patrick Fealey's Future

After reading Patrick Fealey's article, "The Invisible Man," I couldn't keep it to myself. I had a pit in my stomach the entire time. I was familiar with where Patrick was from and where his personal story took place. He was a fellow Rhode Islander. Patrick's powerful story of homelessness, while being afflicted with debilitating manic depression, Bipolar 1, lacking any resources yet harnessing an amazing writing talent was inspiring and motivating.

Immediately, I sent the article to my family: mom, dad, sister... We all huddled over the next few days on how we might help Patrick. My father hit the ground the very next day searching the local neighborhood for Patrick. He asked around locally and visited the local police stations and shelters. His search went on for over a week before my father was able to connect with Patrick. As we have gotten to know him over these past several days we understand his story is one of perseverance and determination. Patrick was born in New York City and grew up in southern RI. The Esquire article mentions that he is writing novels in the car, but there's more to the story of his literary efforts.

In 1997, Patrick became disabled by manic depression and unable to work in the fast-paced, high stress world of journalism. This would have crippled most people, but not Patrick, he saw it as an opportunity to pick up where he left off after graduating from the University of RI in 1990. He turned down a newspaper job at that time, in order to finish a novel he began in his junior year in college (Bystander) while attending Humboldt State University in CA.

Between 1991 and 1997, he wrote literary fiction and worked as a reporter intermittently (The Narragansett Times and The Boston Globe), voted Best Art Critic twice and Best Investigative Reporter by multiple press associations nationwide. In 1996, he received The Spirit of Rhode Island Award for capturing the zeitgeist of the Ocean State.

Since the violent onset of manic depression in 1997, he has roamed the country, 20 residences in 18 cities coast to coast, and banged out 15 literary works. He has not made an effort to sell books, but novel excerpts and short stories of his have been published internationally, from New York to Bombay. Patrick's work is catalogued at Yale University and in 2017, literary scouts for the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest annual gathering of publishing professionals, ranked the serialized edition of the novella Bird's Island as one of the ten best of the year in the world after reading and reviewing 6,000 magazines. He is all in when it comes to literature and it's been said he has advanced the art-form, works widely published in the avant-garde. It takes time for revolutionary art to break through, but the truth outs. In the meanwhile, he works. He told me that when he became homeless, he was determined to write his way out and doubled down by rewriting Bystander, an imaginative exploration of violence in America, and the coming of age novel, A California Blue, excerpts of which were published by an alternative weekly.

For those unfamiliar, Bipolar 1 is considered a noble affliction by many, a torturous gift which imparts vision. It's an asset to artists and in fact there are many articles published on how bipolar individuals tend to dominate all fields, including medicine and business. The mind on the move passes through many perceptions, blessed sufferers seeing existence from more coordinates than most know exist. Patrick's case is very severe. It's called "rapid cycling" in which the highs and lows occur closer together and are more extreme. It's agonizing for him and unsustainable. If it were not for modern medicine, Patrick believes he would not be here. Somehow he has deep gratitude which I find so profound. He said to me "I lament the fates of those who came before and did not have the benefits I've had. Van Gogh. Sylvia Plath. A brilliant surgeon I knew as a kid. It's important we remember there is such a thing as mercy for oneself. Their suicides were not 'outs' but noble cures."

Our family has been helping Patrick however we can. Patrick needs your help and support until he can reestablish himself and get the support he needs. Please consider giving and donating what you can to help Patrick Fealey. The funds will be used initially for Patrick’s necessary car repairs, for Patrick’s desperately needed dental work, and with enough generosity for Patrick’s future 1st months rent & security deposit. The goal is to provide enough for an apartment and living expenses for a year, by which time he may be on his feet thanks to the publication of his novels. But in the meantime, each $96 will keep him warm & safe for 1 more night stay at a local Inn in Rhode Island.

Read Patrick's Article in Esquire for more about his journey:

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a62875397/homelessness-in-america/

Update 11/27/24 "Thanksgiving Eve":

Patrick and Lilly have been able to sleep in a bed for the last few days at a small local Inn here in South County, RI. During this time he has been working to secure his first appointment at a local dentist to get some urgent treatment which will help with the pain and discomfort he has been experiencing. Patrick is working with a local mechanic to get his car repaired so that it is drivable, as he uses it for Uber and DoorDash work. We are helping Patrick search for longer term affordable housing, which has proven to be more difficult than expected. There are no shelters in the area for long term stays and rental rates are extremely expensive. Government subsidized housing has an extremely long wait once his application is approved. Your generous donations will help pay for all of these critical things. After many days of arduous research we now know even the smallest and most humble apartment is going to be expensive. As a result, we have increased the goal amount of this GoFundMe to hopefully secure a long term rental for Patrick until a government subsidized housing becomes available(12-18 month wait best case). Although we know it will be a tough road ahead, Patrick has new found hope and is overwhelmed by all your support. We appreciate your help to keep Patrick and Lilly in a safe place.