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Deaf student's talents belied his disability | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Those who knew W. Patrick Gorman saw him just as a normal boy.
Many probably didn't know that from birth, Gorman was not given much hope for survival. He was born with pulmonary hypertension, was in a respirator for 27 days and as a toddler, his parents learned he had lost his hearing.
But deafness and the other physical challenges he faced were no impediment living a joyful and thriving life.
"Most people do not realize that I am totally deaf, because my voice and speech are so clear," he wrote recently in his college application package. "No one knows how hard I have worked and what it takes on a day to day basis to keep up."
Gorman was a regular teenager, a talented artist, fishing aficionado and someone who always carried a smile. He was also one of the first totally deaf students in Henrico County to be mainstreamed in regular classes.
The senior at Godwin High School and the Center for the Arts at Henrico High School, died suddenly of a congenital heart defect Nov. 30 at his western Henrico home. He was 17.
"Our grieving is turning to gratefulness," his mother Cabell Gorman said this week as she and her husband, Breck, recalled stories of their son. "We had this child that was not supposed to live, he was not supposed to be with us and if he survived, was supposed to be attached to a wheelchair and oxygen tanks. We had this remarkable miracle child for 17 years."
Patrick's mother lobbied school administrators to place him in a regular school setting and he was mainstreamed and attended Gayton Elementary and Byrd Middle.
At first he received handicapped services, including a personal aide and speech therapy. But by high school, Gorman was on his own and had only a few accommodations such as closed captions when the class saw videos and preferred seating in the classroom. Hearing implants allowed Gorman to hear within a certain distance.
He set the path for other hearing impaired or deaf students to become integrated in a public school setting, Center for the Arts Director Stephanie Poxon said.
"He was just such a happy, vibrant young man with so much potential," she said. "He took advantage of every opportunity."
The news of Gorman's death last week saddened his 17 classmates at the Center for the Arts who had grown to care and respect him, arts teacher of Mary Scurlock said. In his honor, each student made a tiny piece of art, wrote something on it and gave it to Gorman's parents.
They also decided that in the class' annual show at a Richmond art gallery next year, a wall will display his work.
Art classmates Carson Jones and Maggie Stumpf said they still can't believe their friend, who they say was a master of the paint brush, is gone.
"His skills were amazing," said Jones, adding that in their class if anyone was to succeed as an artist they all thought it would be Patrick.
"He was an example for all of us," said Stumpf.
Art was one of Gorman's greatest passions. He wrote recently that it was his greatest strength and he was making plans to study art in college.
He enjoyed portraits, and painted several of his younger brother, Jack, and of himself. His last finished work was a painting of a younger cousin sitting on the floor during at a family funeral about a month ago. The last painting he started was of his father fishing.
"He was such an incredible artist for such a young age," said Scurlock. "He went through a lot and he didn't complain. ... He was just a great person, a good soul."
Gorman knew his disability meant he had to work much harder just to understand what was said in class, but as he wrote recently, he wasn't a quitter.
"My proudest life accomplishment has been to leave the state institution for the deaf and blind and attend honors high school art class with no help from the deaf and hard of hearing support," he wrote. "All of my classes I have succeeded on my own."
Those who knew W. Patrick Gorman saw him just as a normal boy.
Many probably didn't know that from birth, Gorman was not given much hope for survival. He was born with pulmonary hypertension, was in a respirator for 27 days and as a toddler, his parents learned he had lost his hearing.
But deafness and the other physical challenges he faced were no impediment living a joyful and thriving life.
"Most people do not realize that I am totally deaf, because my voice and speech are so clear," he wrote recently in his college application package. "No one knows how hard I have worked and what it takes on a day to day basis to keep up."
Gorman was a regular teenager, a talented artist, fishing aficionado and someone who always carried a smile. He was also one of the first totally deaf students in Henrico County to be mainstreamed in regular classes.
The senior at Godwin High School and the Center for the Arts at Henrico High School, died suddenly of a congenital heart defect Nov. 30 at his western Henrico home. He was 17.
"Our grieving is turning to gratefulness," his mother Cabell Gorman said this week as she and her husband, Breck, recalled stories of their son. "We had this child that was not supposed to live, he was not supposed to be with us and if he survived, was supposed to be attached to a wheelchair and oxygen tanks. We had this remarkable miracle child for 17 years."
Patrick's mother lobbied school administrators to place him in a regular school setting and he was mainstreamed and attended Gayton Elementary and Byrd Middle.
At first he received handicapped services, including a personal aide and speech therapy. But by high school, Gorman was on his own and had only a few accommodations such as closed captions when the class saw videos and preferred seating in the classroom. Hearing implants allowed Gorman to hear within a certain distance.
He set the path for other hearing impaired or deaf students to become integrated in a public school setting, Center for the Arts Director Stephanie Poxon said.
"He was just such a happy, vibrant young man with so much potential," she said. "He took advantage of every opportunity."
The news of Gorman's death last week saddened his 17 classmates at the Center for the Arts who had grown to care and respect him, arts teacher of Mary Scurlock said. In his honor, each student made a tiny piece of art, wrote something on it and gave it to Gorman's parents.
They also decided that in the class' annual show at a Richmond art gallery next year, a wall will display his work.
Art classmates Carson Jones and Maggie Stumpf said they still can't believe their friend, who they say was a master of the paint brush, is gone.
"His skills were amazing," said Jones, adding that in their class if anyone was to succeed as an artist they all thought it would be Patrick.
"He was an example for all of us," said Stumpf.
Art was one of Gorman's greatest passions. He wrote recently that it was his greatest strength and he was making plans to study art in college.
He enjoyed portraits, and painted several of his younger brother, Jack, and of himself. His last finished work was a painting of a younger cousin sitting on the floor during at a family funeral about a month ago. The last painting he started was of his father fishing.
"He was such an incredible artist for such a young age," said Scurlock. "He went through a lot and he didn't complain. ... He was just a great person, a good soul."
Gorman knew his disability meant he had to work much harder just to understand what was said in class, but as he wrote recently, he wasn't a quitter.
"My proudest life accomplishment has been to leave the state institution for the deaf and blind and attend honors high school art class with no help from the deaf and hard of hearing support," he wrote. "All of my classes I have succeeded on my own."