About

Hello viewer,

Thats-Pat.com is an online museum, blog, and adventure diary showcasing the life, times, work, interests, and creations of Patrick Spears.

I want to share a story with you that will allow you to understand my perspective on life, which led me to develop this site. When I was 19 I had an unknown “mass” in my body, and I was told that there was a strong possibility that I had cancer. After doctor examinations, blood tests, an ultrasound, and a CT scan there was still uncertainty among my doctors as to what this mass in my body was. The 2 leading possibilities were that I had a blood clot of some sort or much worse, cancer. My doctor gave me 2 options. My first option was to take blood thinner medication for 3 months, which in theory would thin out the mass if it were a blood clot and help decrease the risk of me having an embolism or other complication. The second option was to have surgery to remove the mass to determine its malignancy. If it were cancer and I chose the first option involving blood thinners then 3 months would have passed giving the cancer time to spread. Therefore I elected to have surgery to remove and biopsy the mass to confirm my condition. After the surgery the mass was determined to be a hematoma my doctor assumed I had developed after a hit at football practice. Fortunately I did not have cancer, but the scary experience of knowing there was a high probability that I had cancer for several months at age 19 was a true blessing in disguise and would change my outlook/perspective on life forever.

Because Steve Jobs had a similar enlightening experience after his first bout with cancer (which I should note was much more serious than mine) he addressed the Stanford graduating class of 2005 with this sound piece of advice: “Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart”. This site is just me following my heart without fear. Thank you for your viewership and support.

Sincerely,

Patrick Spears

Thats-Pat.com

P.S. ***Special thanks to Mike Thompson for turning my ideas into reality***