The Resurrection Of A Lost Friend

CBS Evening News: Pat Chawki's High School Classmates Had Thought He Had Died, Now They're Helping To Find Him A Cure

(CBS)  The class of '86 at Grant High School in Los Angeles was a tight-knit bunch -- which is why everyone was so shaken when word got around 9 years ago that one of their classmates had died.

CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports Pat Chawki was a right fielder on the city championship baseball team. He was a good-looking kid, and just plain good.

His friends held a memorial for him at their class reunion.

Says one friend who attended, "There was a picture of him and a couple of poems and some candles were lit."

So you can imagine their dismay when it turned out ...

For the last nine years Pat has actually been in a nursing home, suffering from what may be a rare kind of Multiple Sclerosis. His mother Rose says the illness came on so fast, he never had time to tell anyone.

"After 20 days he lost his ability to speak, to walk and to eat," Rose says.

Except for a few hand gestures, Pat had no way to communicate, and basically fell off the map. That was until a classmate named Laurie Green found out he was not only alive, but aware and appreciative.

"He understands everything, and I felt like I just can't not help him," Laurie says. "I can't just sit and watch."

No one's quite sure how the rumor got started that Pat had died, but there's no question about who put an end to it. The day Laurie found out, she got on Facebook and told everyone she knew to tell everyone they knew that Pat was alive and they should get down and see him.

"Laurie is absolutely relentless," says a mutual friend, "But in a good way."

Pat went from having no friends for 9 years, to having roomfulls at once.

"They all came by, 15, 20 people at a time," Rose says. "They were all here in the patio and Patrick was in heaven."

Laurie still wants Pat to get visitors, but now, more importantly -- she wants him to get better.

She says, "I hope that I can cure him, I don't know if it's possible, but that's my goal."

To that end, Laurie has temporarily turned her public relations company into a fund-raising machine to cure Pat.

She's already raised more than $15,000 and has helped Pat get in to see a new doctor. He's an expert who is now re-evaluating the case to see if Pat really has MS, or something else -- something treatable?

"And I'm going to keep going until a doctor tells me something new and there's something they can do," Laurie says.

According to Rose, "She came down from heaven for me and Patrick."

Making a sign that means "love," one can only assume that Pat agrees with his mother.

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And if you'd like to help Laurie and Pat -- or if you just want to follow their brave adventure - visit Laurie's Web site.

[cofcguy]

I have a 2:50 sec video explaining the national debt titled "Eleven Trillion Dollar Drive." In it I illustrate the debt by dropping one dollar bills out of a car and driving across the lower 48 going from state capitol to state capitol. It's an excellent demonstration of how big the debt is these days. That'd be a neat story.

[ludvig1-2009]

A few years back, I visited back home in Missouri and talked a highschool classmate into putting on a 38th class reunion. I told her that she should schedule it when another high school classmate would be here from his teaching job in Europe and she said that "he was dead." I said, "No, I just talked to his mom, he's coming home in a week." She put on the reunion at her house and had so much fun doing it, she did it again for the 40th reunion.

[hmmIwonder]

He could have Lyme disease or something of that nature, or co-infection. Did they look into that?

[cmkoske1]

What a wonderful story! I have sent in a donation in the memory of my mother, which I know she would approve, especially for Mother's Day, instead of the usual graveside flowers that no one would see or enjoy, as most of my family is now gone. Seeing Pat and all of his friends and his loving mother touched my heart. Laurie is an angel for bringing together long lost friends and trying to find the diagnosis for his condition. Prayers are for his eventual recovery and happiness, some of which appears to be happening now. Thank you CBS and Steve Hartman for this very touching story and Laurie for her kind soul , dedication, and generosity.

[debinok1]

This is her website. There is a link at the bottom for contributions.

http://www.goodgirlspr.com/Goodgirls_Give_.html

[dbebbellina1]

I would like to e-mail Laurie Green directly. My heart goes out to the young man whom has list at least 15% of his life. I would like to make a substancial donvation for his healthcare.

God bless!
Deborah Bellina

[Quirky111]

I love your human interest stories! I found this one particularly touching. Laurie is as much an inspiration as Pat (with her quest to find a cure for him). I donated straight away yesterday, and I hope many others will do the same. :)

[refriedbean]

Huh?

[Saphyre333]

Is there an address where I can send this brave young man a card or two?
If not, please send him my love and deepest respect.

[hlt069]

Thanks CBS for presenting this great human interest story. Please send my best to this young man and his friends.

[uncleleon]

check to see if it is limes disease this may be the wrong Diagnosis and Treatment

[ToolMangler1]

Thank you for this story. I wish this young man the best, also a speedy recovery

[Lyme_cfs_MS]

The family should have a Lyme-literate physician (member of ILADS) run a test for Lyme Disease. The brain lesions, the spinal fluid findings and the actual clinical manifestations of Lyme and MS are identical in a lot of cases. The symptoms of Lyme can occur overnight just like Pat's symptoms. Here's a link to scientific studies which support the Lyme-MS link:

http://www.lymeinfo.net/multiplesclerosis.html

I wish this young man the best - including finding successful treatment for this devastating disease.

[Sanderson01]

Thank you so much for reporting these stories of people doing the right thing. Laurie is awesome! For me its the most useful part of the broadcast. The message is: I can do something to fix the world's problems! Its inspiring and I have my son watch them with me every time. Thank you.

[postproducer]

This story has brought back so many great memories from High School. Thank you Lourie from www.goodgirlspr.com and thank you CBS for reporting this sad but heart warming story.

Pat Bravo