The Diagnosis
Relocating your family to a new city can be a challenge during the best of times. In May 2011, the Madigans had just moved from the Lake of the Ozarks to Columbia as a result of a work transfer. During this already stressful time, John Patrick and Ellie Madigan began to notice problems with their oldest son, Patrick.
“Something was off,” John Patrick said. “Friends and family noticed it too. He had difficulty communicating, he only had a three-word vocabulary. Things just weren’t what we thought they should be.”
Patrick and his parents visited the Thompson Center to have a further evaluation and that is when they received the news. Three-year-old Patrick had autism.
“It’s terrifying, it’s horrible,” John Patrick said. “You’re fearful, you don’t know what to do. What do we do next?”
The Madigans credit the Thompson Center and its many caring providers and staff for helping with those next steps.
“They were great, they helped provide services and therapies, helped us find other community resources,” John Patrick said. “The doctors and nurses helped explain what was going on and really gave us a path forward. We really had to learn what we can and can’t control with Patrick and his autism.”
Raising Laughs
Fast forward to 2016. Patrick had enjoyed remarkable growth. And they wanted to find a way to give back. John Patrick’s sister just happened to be nationally renowned comedian and entertainer Kathleen Madigan. After discussing it with members of the Thompson Foundation for Autism, of which he is a board member, John Patrick approached his sister about the possibility of an event to support the Thompson Center.
“Kathleen loves supporting causes like this, it wasn’t even a question to her, she was immediately on board,” John Patrick said.
Another nationally renowned comedian, Lewis Black, happened to be a long-time family friend of the Madigans. Lewis and Kathleen had done many charitable events in the past, including the support of one of Lewis’s passions, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
“We were at an event with Lewis, raising money for cystic fibrosis, and we brought up the idea of an event to support the Thompson Center and to raise awareness for autism,” John Patrick said. “Lewis might have said ‘yes’ even faster than Kathleen. He wanted to know how he could help. So we pulled him in too.”
In May 2017, Kathleen and Lewis were met with the roars and laughter of a near-sellout crowd filling the Missouri Theatre in downtown Columbia. That event, which was sponsored by the Thompson Foundation for Autism, raised more than $100,000 for the Thompson Center, money that directly supported programs and providers who help so many families.
“We have one of the nation’s leading autism centers right here in Columbia,” John Patrick said. “By bringing in these comedians, who are both family and nationally recognized themselves, we hoped and still hope to shine a light on this amazing resource right here in mid-Missouri.”
The event was so successful that everyone involved couldn’t wait to do it again. The date has been set and the tickets have been printed. On May 6, 2019 Lewis Black & Friends return to the Missouri Theatre to benefit the Thompson Center.
“The event in 2017 was so amazing and so successful, the Foundation, Lewis, everyone, were just chomping at the bit to do it again,” John Patrick said. “We are so excited and grateful that Lewis and everyone wanted to return and provide more support to the center that has done so much for our family and so many families around Missouri.”
A Path Forward
Over the years, friends and family say Patrick has made remarkable strides. He’s now 10, working his way through 5th grade.
“He has come far, but he still is an enigma at times,” John Patrick said. “We don’t really know what tomorrow will bring with him, but we know we have support whatever that might be.”
While the Madigans may have a path forward, albeit an ever-changing one, John Patrick wants to help make sure other families are able to experience similar support that they received from the Thompson Center and the community. He hopes the upcoming Lewis Black & Friends event in May will be a way to help ensure that happens.
“The autism experience is a challenging one for any family,” John Patrick said. “If we can make that experience less dramatic then we will have done something positive. If we can raise money that will lead to improving one family’s life, even one person’s life who has to deal with the challenges of autism, then it will be worth it.”
With the Madigans pushing forward, and amazing support from Lewis Black & Friends, it’s clear that many lives will continue to be improved at the Thompson Center.
To buy tickets to the Lewis Black & Friends Comedy Event in May, visit https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/muconcerts/EN/link/buy/details/9im0.
To sponsor the event, contact the Thompson Foundation for Autism at 573-884-6185.