Time with friends is therapy for wounded soldier
Christine Haines
Patrick McIlvain raises a hand to his forehead while working with therapist Donnell Jefferson.
Patrick McIlvain gives a thumbs-up sign as therapist Donnell Jefferson works with him on exercises to strengthen his neck and help McIlvain hold his head upright. McIlvain was going through therapy while visiting with friends in Hopwood recently.
Christine Haines
Christine Haines
McIlvain takes a few steps with the help of his friend Robert Cale (left) and Jefferson while visiting with friends in Hopwood.
By Christine Haines/
With a wave to his friends Patrick McIlvain indicates he’s ready for a nap during a recent visit to Fayette County for a golf outing held in his honor.
Patrick McIlvain listed his favorite hometown foods when asked what he wanted during his first trip to Uniontown after being wounded in Afghanistan just over a year ago: sticky buns, a burger from a favorite bar and a homemade spaghetti dinner.
Just conveying that list of favorites was an accomplishment for the wounded veteran. McIlvain’s unit came under attack in Kherwar, Afghanistan, on May 12, 2010, and a bullet went through his brain, causing severe damage to the right frontal lobe, his vision and facial bones.
The United States has been at war against the Taliban in Afghanistan since October 2001, in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. McIlvain joined the U.S. Army in 2007 and was deployed to Afghanistan.
For a period of time after being wounded, the Laurel Highlands High School graduate was in a coma and he underwent numerous surgeries. McIlvain is now in a private, long-term therapy program in North Carolina. Contact with his friends through visits and phone calls is a major part of his therapy.
McIlvain’s high school friend Robert Cale was able to visit McIlvain in North Carolina earlier this year.
“It’s nice to be able to picture him where he is when we talk to him,” Cale said. “It was nice to see him out of a hospital environment.”
“There’s one guy there who loves hockey, so they watch all the games together. It’s nice that it’s like family down there,” said another friend, Mandy Semans.
Hockey has been a big part of McIlvain’s life, both as a fan and as a player for California University of Pennsylvania, which honored him in October at a game at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
The recent trip to Uniontown was made in conjunction with the Pat Mac Fund golf outing, held to raise money for Fayette County veterans, scholarships for Laurel Highlands students and support for the Laurel Highland Air Force Junior ROTC program. The fund was set up by a group of McIlvain’s friends, not to cover his medical costs, which are handled by the Department of Veterans Affairs, but to carry on their friend’s commitment to helping others.
“Pat really has a purpose in this organization. He’s the face of it and he’s helping veterans in this area,” said Ryan Fiano, one of the fund’s organizers.
“There are guys that aren’t getting the therapy that Pat’s getting,” added Chris Semans, another of the fund’s organizers.
While the event raised money to help others in need, participating in the golf outing was therapeutic for McIlvain as well.
“Pat’s been enjoying everything,” said Donnell Jefferson, a rehabilitation technician from the Learning Services Neurobehavioral Institute in Creedmoor, N.C., who traveled with McIlvain.
Jefferson said McIlVain was enjoying himself so much at the golf outing that he indicated that he wasn’t ready to leave at the end of the day.
“He’s enjoyed being around his friends,” Jefferson said.
McIlvain’s friend Mandy Semans said the golf outing gave McIlvain an opportunity to see people who normally wouldn’t be able to make the long trip to North Carolina, like his grandmother’s best friend, who came to the Uniontown Country Club to see the young man.
“He wouldn’t let her hand go,” Mandy Semans said.
Jefferson noted that McIlvain has begun recognizing people by voice since losing his sight.
Patrick McIlvain was accompanied on the trip by his uncle, John McIlvain of Virginia, who said the first two months his nephew was at Learning Services he progressed rapidly, walking on his own and being much more active than he had been at the Veterans Administration rehabilitation hospital in Richmond. Then the young man suffered a seizure and his medications were changed to prevent another seizure, leaving him less responsive. John McIlvain said those medications are now being moderated, leaving his nephew more alert.
“He’s improved a lot in the last month. It’s his left side that needs to be strengthened. They’re really focused on getting him up as much as they can,” John McIlvain said.
“Even while we’re here, we’ve been doing some rehab, stretching and walking. He wanted to show his friends what he can do,” Jefferson said.
Despite a long afternoon socializing, Patrick McIlvain took a few minutes to walk across the living room with encouragement from his friends before returning to his hotel room for a nap before rejoining his friends for a night at the movies. Jefferson reminded the group that an early show would fit Patrick McIlvain’s schedule best because he generally goes to bed early and is up daily at 6 a.m.
Jefferson said Patrick McIlvain’s therapy includes daily sessions involving walking and using weights and riding a stationary bike twice a day as well as music and pet therapy and social activities such as bowling, fishing and dinner and movie nights.
“We’re just trying to get him as independent as possible,” Jefferson said.
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