Pat Merrill, a 19 year old Northwest CT Community Member and NCES & HVRHS Alum was not expecting to be spending these last month at CT Children’s Hospital where he was diagnosed on Sunday, July 10 with AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia). Pat and his family never saw this coming, no signs indicated that their lives would be turned upside down all in a few days.
Anyone that knows Pat, knows him for his red hair, great smile, and genuine kindness. His passion for cooking, hunting, mountain biking, and hanging out with friends and family is one of Pat’s many hobbies he enjoys. Pat recently was a recipient for the Eagle Scout Award and was currently just 4 weeks shy of finishing up his third semester at Hyde Park Culinary School. Pat has also been employed at The Pond Restaurant for the past few years where his love and skills for cooking has grown stronger. Pat loves cooking for his family. On his free time (which is limited with school and work), Pat will put on his chef hat and apron and send his mom to the store to pick up all the necessary ingredients to make dinner for his family.
Pat will begin a round of chemotherapy on Monday July 11 and will be staying at CMC for the next four weeks where he will continue chemotherapy. He may be able to spend his 5th week at home and will then return to CMC for 4 more weeks of chemotherapy and treatment. At the end of 9 weeks, Pat will be reevaluated and a bone marrow transplant will then be determined. Our hope is that this aggressive treatment plan will do it’s job.
Please keep Pat and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Click below to request a packet be sent to your home at no cost so you can find out if you are a match for Patrick or many others in need. Thank you.