I Still Believe in Tomorrow: 40 Years of Living with a Spinal Cord Injury

This is an excerpt from a Minneapolis StarTribune article written by Tom Brakke on the anniversary of Mike's accident:

Forty years ago tonight, "before a large crowd in perfect weather for watching football," a game was played that would change many lives. The newspaper summary that contained that description was routine in every respect, but near the end it mentioned some injuries had occurred.

The front page of that issue of the Worthington Daily Globe had a sidebar with a picture of Mike Patrick that had been cropped from the team photo. "Seriously hurt," said the headline below it.

Accompanying the game story on the sports page was a photo of Patrick, lying in the end zone, paralyzed. His neck had been broken as he made a tackle.

Within hours, holes would be drilled in his head and he'd be put in a Stryker frame, so he could be rotated regularly for months. First looking up, then looking down, suspended and still, physically the very opposite of the vibrant, athletic young man I had known.

Had the story ended there, it would be a great example of how we can work together to help others in need. But there's much more to it.

Once he was able to ride in a wheelchair, Mike eventually graduated from the University of Minnesota. Always quite a talker, he became a motivational speaker and has specialized in helping people deal with the challenges of their lives.

The odds against Mike living all these years were very long, and medical problems have often prevented him from doing the work he loves.

He shares his more than forty years of living as a quadriplegic in "I Still Believe in Tomorrow." Mike wants to help others, including health care professionals, people who experience serious health issues, and the general population to better understand all individuals as whole people and to realize every action we take, every word we utter may affect someone's healing.

His message is laced with the sense of humor that has gotten him through it all. "Don't ever break your neck," he says, "It's not worth the good parking spots."