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Teen with limited vision unlocks unlimited potential at WorkCamp

Elizabeth A. Elliott | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Gabriel Patterson chats with Paul Dwyer, the adult crew leader on Gabriel’s team at King George High School in King George June 27. ELIZABETH A. ELLIOTT | CATHOLIC HERALD

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Gabriel Patterson helps his teammate, Emma Forero, carry boards across the lawn at a house in Bowling Green June 27 where the WorkCampers are building a deck. ELIZABETH A. ELLIOTT | CATHOLIC HERALD

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Gabriel Patterson, 15, ran the chop saw across a wooden plank to
prepare it for the deck he and his teammates were building for WorkCamp in
Bowling Green June 24-28.

He hammered nails, poured cement and carried boards to the house
where others were assembling the frame. He had so much fun using the hammer and
saw that he earned a nickname from his team — Thor Saw — after wielding the
hammer over his head in the same manner as the Marvel Avengers
character.

Gabriel is a marvel in his own right.

Unless you saw his white collapsible cane or noticed that he
linked arms with a buddy to be guided across the King George High School
cafeteria, you would never know he was doing the same things as the other WorkCampers
were doing but with extremely limited vision.

Gabriel, a rising sophomore and parishioner of St. John Neumann
Church in Reston, has a genetic disorder called Batten Disease, which causes
vision loss, seizures and cognitive impairment. One of his sisters also has the
disease.

Symptoms didn’t show up until he was close to 9 years old. His
mother, Bridget, a crew leader for another WorkCamp team, said most of
Gabriel’s central vision is gone. Eventually, he will be completely blind.

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Like any mother, Bridget was nervous about his participation at
WorkCamp.

“With his limited vision it felt like an unlimited number of things
that could go wrong or be potentially dangerous for him,” she said. “Visual
impairment is something most people aren’t used to dealing with and our world
is definitely made for the sighted. So, I was worried that the people
interacting with him wouldn’t think about the kinds of things he needed.”

Yet, she didn’t need to worry. 

“He is willing to do just about anything and sets his own
limitations. It’s amazing to see the teens come together to rally around to
make sure he doesn’t trip,” said Assistant Contractor Ann Booker from St. John
Neumann. “We’re very careful with our tools. He’s been a very productive member
of the team and you would not know his visual impairment.”

WorkCamper Emma Forero, a parishioner of Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville,
was surprised by Gabriel. “He can do so much more than I thought he would be
able to do,” she said. “You just have to show him how.”

Showing Gabriel meant hammering nails three-quarters of the way and
then letting him hammer them fully into the boards. “We can put our finger on
the nail, start the nail, and then he’ll put his finger on ours and finish
drilling,” said Paul Dwyer, the adult crew leader on Gabriel’s team.

Dwyer was inspired by Gabriel. “He’s courageous to come to this
place,” he said, getting emotional. “He came to this place not knowing any of
his surroundings and in one week helped build a deck. It’s one of those things
where you think you are there for them and it’s just the opposite.”  

The WorkCampers were welcoming to Gabriel.

“Another crew came and one of the coolest things was the very
first task of tearing down the old deck, a boy from the other crew came right
over and grabs Gabe and ushered him to the area without any prompting from any
adult,” said Dwyer. “That was cool.”

Bridget is grateful for her son’s experience at WorkCamp.

“I can’t say enough good things about our parish stakeholder Nick
Buck and the diocese’s response to have Gabriel. They’ve been nothing but
encouraging,” said Bridget. “We worked with Ed Gloninger, WorkCamp coordinator,
to figure out the best way to accommodate him, not only in terms of what would
keep him safe but what would make him feel comfortable and included, and as
much like all the other kids as he possibly could.” 

 

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