Support Bill Pats' Family Through this Tough Time

Bill Pats has had a stroke and is in the ICU. His family are in for some rough times no matter what happens, and they need help.

UPDATE (10/03/24):

Bill has returned home to his family!!! I know from experience that this means his journey to healing has JUST begun. This is also the time when the well-wishing and support are in danger of drying up, so let's keep lifting Bill and his family up. It's important to let Bill know that we're here - that we're in this with him.

A visit to keep him and the kids company (and allow Trish to get out and work) is a great idea. A home cooked meal will make a BIG difference. A phone call or a funny meme would definitely brighten his day. And, of course, they are still in need of any help we can spare. Bill cannot be left alone for extended periods of time right now. He cannot drive or be left alone with the children, and working is out of the question, at least in the short term.

Always one to have a sense of humor, he posted this clip from Monty Python on his Facebook earlier today.

UPDATE (10/02/24):

Bill has been moved from the ICU onto a ward and is receiving visits from close friends and family. If you'd like to visit Bill, get in touch with Trish and she will help you arrange it. We're still not sure when he will be released by doctors to return home, but he continues to have issues with his vision, balance, and some problems with mobility. Otherwise, he is feeling better and he and Trish are VERY grateful for everyone's donations, kind words, and all of the other support our community has shown.

My name is Will, and Bill and his wife Trish are two of my best friends. Many of you may know Bill from his appearances on stage as a talented story teller, from his place lifting up his wife, Trish, as she leads the Tampa Fringe, or from his surgical wit and deep humanity in social situations.

Bill is a family man in the most meaningful sense of the phrase. His two children, Frankie and Logan, are his whole world and he would do anything for them and for Trish. A recent immigrant from Canada, Bill has worked as a career server since receiving his Green card to support Trish and the kids. He works a lot and he works hard. Just prior to his stroke, he had accepted a life changing job in management for a popular and successful restaurant chain and he was in training for this new role when tragedy struck.

Situations like this are always a shock, but Bill's sudden injury was more unexpected than most. He lives a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy diet, and avoiding excess. in his rare free time, he likes nothing more than to enjoy a football or hockey game with friends, to work out in the yard with Frankie and Logan, or to head out for a simple family adventure like the petting zoo or getting pick-and-pay strawberries with the kids. To be honest, he's done everything right, and that's why this sudden difficulty is all the more of a blow to him and to his family.

Bill is one of those people who lifts others up. At public events like the Fringe, you can often find him standing off to the side, supporting the rest of our community with quiet faithfulness and asking for nothing in return. He and Trish are part of the bedrock for so many people and their families, organizing fundraisers like this, lending a helping hand with a difficult job, offering a few hundred bucks here and there to help make ends meet, or just being kind and generous in times of need. Let's pull together and help them get through a tough spot.

While this is an evolving situation, the family depends on Bill's income and he is, at least for now, unable to drive and unable to work. I set a bit of a lofty goal because we don't know how long Bill will be out of work or what the emergency medical bills will come to once all the dust has settled. The actual need may be far more than this. I will post regular updates as they become available.