Adams had a difficult childhood. His father was killed in the
Korean War in 1951[
citation needed] at which point he moved with his family from Korea back to the United States, only to discover injustices that devastated him, such as discrimination and segregation. Adams was adamantly against these injustices and refused to conform to the crowd that tolerated them, making him a target for bullies at school. As a result, Adams was unhappy and even became suicidal.
After being hospitalized three times in one year for wanting to end his life, he somehow realized that instead of killing himself, he should "make revolution." According to Adams, ever since this realization, he has been active with no breaks trying to create a kind, loving world.
After school (1963) from
Wakefield High School (Arlington County, Virginia),
[2] Adams completed pre-med coursework at the
George Washington University. He began
medical school without an
undergraduate degree, and earned his
Doctor of Medicine degree at the
Medical College of Virginia, Health Sciences Division of
Virginia Commonwealth University in 1971. In the late 60s, one of his closest male friends (not his female friend as seen in the
movie) was murdered.
Convinced of the powerful connection between environment and wellness, he believes the health of an individual cannot be separated from the health of the family, community, and the world. While working in an adolescent clinic at MCV, in his final year of med school, he met Linda Edquist, a volunteer in the clinic and student at VCU.
Soon after graduation, Patch, Linda, and friends founded the Gesundheit! Institute (originally known to many as the Zanies), which ran as a free community hospital for 12 years.
Adams and Edquist married (1970s) and had two children.[
citation needed] The elder, Atomic Zagnut Adams, was given a name indicative of Patch and his close friend Leo's personal laugh with life.[
citation needed] His younger son's name is Lars Zig Edquist Adams.
Gesundheit! Institute
Main article:
Gesundheit! Institute
A revamped Gesundheit! Institute, envisioned as a
free, full-scale
hospital and
health care eco-community, is planned on 316 acres (128 ha) in
Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Its goal is to integrate a traditional
hospital with
alternative medicine--
acupuncture,
homeopathy, etc.
Care will combine integrative medicine with performing arts, crafts, nature, agriculture, and recreation. The West Virginia location accepts seasonal volunteers through the website. The new hospital has not been built as Adams continues to seek funding. The current caretaker staff at the West Virginia site consists of one person, but claims to be actively developing educational programs in
sustainable systems design targeted to
medical students, university alternative break groups, and the general public. Several videos and books have also been produced including the 1998 movie, "Patch Adams".[
clarification needed]
Since the 1990s Adams has supported the
Ithaca Health Alliance (IHA),
[3] founded as the Ithaca Health Fund (IHF) by
Paul Glover. In January 2006 IHA launched the Ithaca Free Clinic, bringing to life key aspects of Adams' vision. Adams has also given strong praise to
Health Democracy, Glover's book written and published the same year.
In October 2007, Adams and the Gesundheit Board unveiled its campaign to raise $1 million towards building a Teaching Center and Clinic on its land in West Virginia. Adams' girlfriend, Susan Parenti is the impetus behind this project. The Center and Clinic will enable Gesundheit to see patients and teach health care design.[
citation needed]
Adams urges medical students to develop compassionate connections with their patients. His prescription for this kind of care relies on humor and play, which he sees as essential to physical and emotional health. Ultimately, Adams wants the Gesundheit! Institute to open a 40-bed hospital in rural West Virginia that offers free, holistic care to anyone who wants it.[4]
Adams was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award on January 29, 1997.
[5]
In 2008, Adams agreed to become honorary chair of the "International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment" or IAACM. In a number of his speeches and essays, Martin Luther King, Jr. had called for such an IAACM, but none was ever created. MindFreedom International, a nonprofit coalition that Gesundheit! belongs to as a sponsor group, launched the IAACM to support "creative maladjustment" and social change.
[6]
The website of the Gesundheit Institute states that "at the end of the film
Patch Adams,
Universal Studios inserted the inaccurate statement that Gesundheit had already built its free hospital" and that "this false claim hindered Gesundheit's ability to fundraise for the free hospital" however it adds that "the movie itself raised visibility and helped launch a decade of teaching and Global Outreach."
[7] Patch Adams himself in an interview was critical of Robin Williams, stating, "He made 21 million dollars for four months of pretending to be me, in a very simplistic version, and did not give $10 to my free hospital. Patch Adams, the person, would have, if I had Robin's money, given
all 21 million dollars to a free hospital in a country where 80 million cannot get care."[
citation needed]
oops! sry. I know the two articles are long & they do have some of the same quotes,but the bottom one had different information. I myself love to read,and I love the fact that Michael did too. I just wanted to help get the point across of how well read Michael was and how people really should read more..it's so much better than watching TV. It opens your mind so much. :wub:
