At Chats with Pat I have the remarkable experience of helping record the stories of people who are facing the struggle of a terminal illness. Death is one of those subjects that is often avoided and yet none of us get out of this joint alive. The wisdom, strength and determination I have been privileged to see exhibited from these people has made me rethink what’s important and changed some of my priorities in life. Leanne is one of these people and was kind enough to share some of her thoughts and experience of having a Chat with Pat.

“Pat Gleeson is an amazing man with a brilliant idea and a passionate heart to go out and help save some history of the world on a case by case basis.
I very tentatively accepted an offer by a friend to have a Chats with Pat done. I’m a 45 yr old woman with terminal breast cancer. I have three children and wished for some of my words to be saved for years to come when the children may or may not remember me any more.
Then in comes Pat. Laden with baggage containing all he needs for a successful shoot Pat quietly and quickly set the scene for the video taping. Always being mindful that I was feeling completely comfortable we chatted about what my particular chat would include and how we would let it evolve. So with a clear vision and mindset we began.

Chatting with Pat is like welcoming home a friend who has been away for a long time so you talk to catch them up in all the little day to day aspects that you may have remembered and they maybe forgot. The winding journey of chat is not fixed or structured. Everything I said was done in that moment and could be stopped and changed if I didn’t feel like it was coming out the way I wanted it too. Chatting was easier in the end than I thought it would ever be..... and I’m a hard task master on myself. I expected to give a lot of myself to this chat so all the little bits that make a person unique could still clearly show through. Pat understood this immediately and went above and beyond to make sure this was captured on screen.
Pat joked with me, cried with me, encouraged me to “Suck it and see.” Which always seemed to turn out as the beat piece of advice. If I overthought things too much it would become overwhelming..... but one thing at a time was manageable. I’m super happy my life story now has been recorded. I have so much piece knowing that the kids can still see and hear me despite me no longer being here physically. I’ve found the whole thing to be a healing, acceptance journey and it was a privilege to have worked through some of those darker emotions with Pat.

The second visit for my chat included me leaving private and personal messages to my immediate family members. My sister and parents, my husband, and of course our three lovely children. I was terrified of this. Of trying to find the right words from the grave, knowing these will be watched and scrutinised and needed to mean so much.

This is where Pat became the ultimate encourager, the ultimate behind the scenes source of strength. Without his comfortable presence I could not have gotten through these last words. I broke just a little more as each speech was done.... and Pat gave me the perfect amount of time to recompose myself before I moved onto the next one. To know those personalised messages are out there for the children, my parents and sister and also one for my husband gives me such a feeling of closure over a situation I’ve really been struggling long and hard with. I would highly recommend Pat Gleeson to anyone who is thinking about having a Chats with Pat recorded.... or even capturing some family photography as well. He is an amazing man with a genuine enthusiasm for his role in capturing peoples stories and circumstances. Thanks you so much Chats with Pat

- Leanne