U.S. Army veteran Christopher Lee Patterson, at 37 years old, has lost the use of his arms and legs.
He cannot breathe by himself and he needs a ventilator and around-the-clock care to survive. But despite these overwhelming disabilities, caused by two tragic accidents in the United States and a bomb explosion while he was serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, Patterson has not lost his optimism and hope for the future.
“I’m not angry or bitter at what’s happened to me,” he said this weekend from his bed at the Long Beach Veterans Affairs Spinal Cord Center, where he has been living with quadriplegia for the past five years.
“It definitely sucks sometimes and the pain never really goes away,” he said, “but I try to focus on stuff I want to do and dreams I have.”
Above his head is a bank of screens keeping him in touch with the world. He controls a specially equipped overhead computer by blinking his eyes. He controls a television with a special remote.
His eyes lit up when two of his aunts, Cathleen Koch and Nancy Carriaga, who helped raise him when he was growing up, flew in from Washington recently to spend time with him. The aunts talk to him on the phone a lot, but they had not seen him in person for three years because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It was so exciting to see him,” Koch said. “We missed him so much. His positive attitude just amazes us. Even with all that he’s gone through, he is the sweetest and kindest person.”
During their visit, Patterson’s aunts caressed his face and posed for photographs with him.
“They are so great,” Patterson said. “They helped raise me to become the man I am today. I love them.”
While his aunts were visiting, Patterson wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey with No. 88, the number worn by his favorite player, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Patterson was a wide receiver on the Kentwood High School football team in Covington, Washington, which won a state championship while he was…
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