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The Story of
Matthew Pattison
 (Reprint
of an article in Four Corners Outdoors)
Hunt of a Lifetime - Nonprofit group seeks to fulfill kids' dreams
By Darren Marcy
Four Corners Outdoors
Filling in a void left by another national wish-granting group, a
Pennsylvania organization is sending seriously-ill children on dream
hunts and fishing trips.
Hunt of a Lifetime is relatively new to the world of wish granting. But
its impact is being felt across the country, and it seems as if hunters
and anglers can't wait to step up and help.
Wanted: A moose hunt
 In
March 1998, Matthew Pattison wanted to hunt moose in Canada. The
18-year-old suffered from Hodgkin's disease, and his parents new he
didn't have the luxury of waiting until they could afford such a hunt.
Matthew's stepmother, Tina Pattison, called the Make-A-Wish Foundation,
but due to heavy anti-hunting pressure and a lot of press over previous
hunting wishes the organization had funded, it chose to no longer pay
for youngsters to go on hunts.
But Tina and Matthew's father, Chet, were determined to send their son
on a moose hunt.
After dozens of phone calls and lots of personal favors, Matthew got to
go on his moose hunt.
Home of big hearts
A Pennsylvania man put Tina in touch with a Wyoming hunt broker. The man
had contacted an Alberta, Canada, outfitter who had agreed to guide the
youth on a moose hunt for free. On top of that, the small town of
Nordegg, Alberta, turned itself upside down to help.
Despite the town having only 68 residents, Matt had everything paid for:
air fare, a helicopter ride in and out, stock and feed, the camp and
food, licenses and fees, a satellite phone in case of a medical
emergency and meat processing and shipping.
A nurse even took a week off from work to stay at the camp in case an
accident occurred because Matt's blood had lost its clotting
capabilities from the chemotherapy doses.
We're going up there this summer so I can thank them personally, Tina
Pattison said.
And Matt got his moose with a 56-inch spread in October 1998, one month
after his birthday.
He died the following spring April 28, 1999 of heart and liver failure.
He was 19 years old.
Something to look forward to
Tina said the final year of Matt's life was hard. His body was losing
the battle and the ravages of Hodgkin's was taking its toll. But the
final year of his life the pain that racked his body wasn't as bad as it
could have been. He had a moose hunt he was looking forward to.
He kept saying, I'll be all right because I'm going on that moose hunt,
Tina said.
Matt had hunted with his father since he was little, and the Pattisons
loved to hunt, fish and camp. The moose hunt was the last thing he
wanted to do, and his parents had fought to give Matt his final wish.
But many kids with a serious or terminal illness don't have that option.
In fact, Matt almost didn't get his wish. The first effort netted a hunt
set for September 1999, five months after he died. Now, the Pattisons
are glad they kept pushing and are grateful they found Nordegg and
others involved in the trip.
Planning for the future
At the funeral, many people gave money to the Pattisons and asked it go
to a charity in Matt's name. Tina and Chet couldn't think of a better
way than to help Matt's name live on in the form of an organization that
helped young people like him.
Hunt of a Lifetime was born in August 1999 when an attorney, donating
her time, drew up papers for the nonprofit organization. It's been a
rollercoaster ride since then for the Pattisons. They've had their story
told in national magazines, newspapers and on the Internet.
Money started coming in from hunters across the United States.
The fact the fledgling organization was using the Pattison's home
computer drew a check from a man who told them not to get a cheap one.
Hunt of a Lifetime isn't yet a year old, and it's already sent one kid
on a white-tailed deer hunt.
That's the story Tina calls A Christmas Present from God.
She said she got a call on Christmas eve saying a 14-year-old in
Wisconsin had missed the last two seasons with a brain tumor and all he
wanted for Christmas was to go deer hunting. Two days later Tina had a
hunt arranged and Jan. 15 the youth killed an 8-pointer.
Hunts are in the works for bear and moose right now.
An overwhelming response
Funds, so far, haven't been a problem.
Once the story got out, donations started coming in. Two checks for
$1,000 have been sent.
Mail-order giant Cabela's weighed in with a check, the Pennsylvania Game
Commission sent $2,500. Lots of people have sent $5 and $10.
One man sent $300 and said his son died two days before his 18th
birthday. The man told Tina his favorite memories are of the two of them
hunting together.
The Pattisons have dozens of similar stories.
Outfitters started calling offering free trips. Fishing trips like the
pro bass angler who said between him and his sponsors a kid could show
up and have the fishing trip of a lifetime, all expenses paid. Hunting
trips for elk, deer, turkey, duck, goose, caribou, moose and bear are
all awaiting a needy kid.
One hunter called and said he had a fully-paid-for weeklong package
featuring caribou, black bear and fishing near Montreal valued at
$8,000. He said he was going to stay home with his two daughters and the
next kid that wanted to go caribou hunting would have it all paid for.
Another man called from Bristol, Fla., and told Tina his son was totally
disabled and would never be able to go hunting with him. He offered to
take a kid on a fully-guided alligator hunt with lodging provided every
year as long as they wanted.
People from across the country are donating frequent flyer miles, and a
travel agent volunteered to set up the accounts to help get free airline
tickets.
At a recent outdoor show, Tina underestimated the number of fliers she
needed and printed only 1,500. Early Saturday, she sent her son to get
another 4,000 printed with a blank check. Her son returned with the
flyers and check.
The man wouldn't take our money, Tina said.
While at the show, a member of the National Wild Turkey Federation
brought a print from his own collection over and told Tina to raffle it
off for funds. At last count she had sold $350 worth of raffle tickets.
The response is just overwhelming, Tina said, before breaking down and
sobbing. You don't realize how many wonderful people are out there.
Wanted: Kids with wishes
Tina said donations are welcome, but the big thing right now is getting
the word out and letting people know the organization exists. Boys or
girls, ages 12 to 21, with a life-threatening, critical or terminal
illness are accepted.
Tina said Make-A-Wish and two other wish-granting organizations have
said they will refer hunting requests to Hunt of a Lifetime.
She said she understands Make-A-Wish's hands were tied by the
anti-hunting groups, which she holds responsible.
I'm more upset with animal-rights activists who can't think of a child's
needs before their own beliefs. Not every child wants to go to Disney
World.
Wish kids are encouraged to call for information.
We need to find the kids.
Into the future
Nobody knows for sure what is in store for Hunt of a Lifetime. Tina and
Chet are prepared to ride the organization into national prominence, and
that shouldn't prove hard.
People in four states, including a man from Bosque Farms here in New
Mexico, already have volunteered to form chapters in those states.
Hunt of a Lifetime is registered as a nonprofit in Pennsylvania, and a
lawyer is donating time to file paperwork with the Internal Revenue
Service for national status.
In the meanwhile, Tina is a hot commodity on the outdoor speakers tour.
She's constantly taking time off from her job as a bus driver to catch
up on work for the nonprofit and to tell her story to sportsman's
organizations.
When she's not telling her story, she's on the phone lining up
outfitters, guides and others and filling her contacts list for future
wishes she hopes to be granting soon.
Want to help?
The best thing to help is to keep spreading the word, Tina said. Get the
organization out there and get the story told.
Help the kids who are in need of such a hunt to find the organization
and help those who can provide the services know they are needed.
Information: (814) 899-5682; (800) 484-4948, pin: 0862; or write: Hunt
of a Lifetime, 6297 Buffalo Road, Harborcreek, PA 16421. The toll free
number costs Hunt of a Lifetime 15 cents per minute.
(Darren Marcy is the outdoor editor at The Daily Times in Farmington,
N.M., where this story originally appeared. He can be reached at
OutdoorsDM@aol.com.) |
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