Patch Adams spreads message of joy and compassion

Dressed in blue jeans and a green T-shirt, he nervously shook as he approached the microphone stand.

“Hi Patch,” he said. Dr. Patch Adams briefly looked over the medical student, then moved closer and placed his arm around the young man.

As he continued to shake, the young man on Jan. 20 told Patch and a packed crowd inside UM-Dearborn’s Kochoff Hall that he was an addict. He’s been clean for five months, but said he continues to struggle with his addiction.

Yet that same medical student who nervously shook as he disclosed his addiction to a crowd of strangers appeared rejuvenated within minutes. He and Patch hugged, danced and sang “Jingle Bells,” as audience members rose to their feet and applauded.

“I love me,” the young man repeated. “I love that I’m clean and sober.”

His revived sense of joy is all part of Patch’s daily routine to spread happiness to anyone he comes in contact with. And it all starts with Patch’s outlook on life.

“I will love life,” said Patch, whose life was the basis of a 1998 film that starred Robin Williams. “I actually don’t have an alternative. Loving is the most important thing in life.”

Patch interacted with residents at Oakwood Care Center and spoke on campus Jan. 19 and 20 as part of the University’s weeklong tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Patch also had some fun with UM-Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little during his trip to campus. Patch admits he has an affinity for elevators because the isolated space provides him an opportunity to meet someone new. On Jan. 20, Patch used Little to display how he approaches strangers in an elevator, a skit that brought about laughs from the crowd.

Throughout his lecture, Patch urged audience members to live every moment to its fullest, remain positive and cherish friendships.

“We need friends,” he said. “We are communal. We need to be together. There’s no way to be healthy without a friend.”