By Heather L. Connors
April 25, 2007
Patrick would have loved this bike.
A sleek, custom-built Orange County Choppers number decked out in Monroe-Woodbury High School's trademark purple, just like his wrestling singlet.
On the bike, there are insignias with the initials PMD — his initials.
In a way, it is his bike.
But he will never get to ride it.
Patrick Michael D'Aliso — star high school wrestler, honors student, son of Monroe-Woodbury's winning football coach, all-American boy — committed suicide on May 19, 2004, at the age of 16.
The bike that bears Patrick's initials was designed by OCC's Paul Teutul Jr. and recently built as the centerpiece of a fundraising raffle to benefit the D'Aliso family's charitable foundation, which also bears Patrick's name. It's bittersweet because the teen loved watching Teutul and the rest of the OCC crew on the TV show, "American Chopper."
Patrick's death blindsided those nearest and dearest to him, and left his tightknit family wondering why. But they can't dwell on questions that have no answers.
Though the D'Alisos will never know why Patrick killed himself, what is certain is that they don't want Patrick's death to overshadow his life, or to have any mom, dad, sister or brother go through what they're enduring in the wake of Patrick's death. It is out of this philosophy that the Patrick M. D'Aliso Foundation was born.
The foundation funds scholarships for local high school athletes who embody Patrick's ideals. It also lends financial support to suicide awareness and prevention programs for teenagers, pushing an often taboo topic out to the forefront.
"If I can save one kid, it's all worth it," says Kristi Salmon, the foundation's treasurer and Patrick's older sister. "Patrick was the No. 1 person in my life."
Salmon says she was like a second mother to her baby brother, eight years her junior. She attended all his wrestling matches and was the go-to person if he couldn't talk to their mom and dad.
"I'm not the same person I was before Patrick died," she says. "You don't worry about the trivial things. Life becomes about surviving every day."
Skipping the traditional tossing of the bouquet at her wedding last year, she placed the flowers on her brother's grave instead. It was her way of making him a part of the important day, of remembering him.
And she wants others to remember, too. "It can happen to anyone," she says.
The benefit bike will serve as a very visible reminder of that as it makes its way to events all over the area. Beginning April 16, the $80,000 chopper will be on display at the OCC retail store in Montgomery. From there, Salmon is working on having it displayed at various local malls, bike rallies and summer fairs.
She's sure Patrick would be pleased.
"I think he's looking down on us and he's proud of what we're doing," his sister says.
Raffle tickets are on sale now for the Patrick M. D'Aliso Foundation's custom chopper. Tickets are $20 each and benefit the foundation's work.
To purchase tickets, get a better look at the bike, or to find out more information about the foundation, its mission and its support group, log on to www.patrickmdalisofoundation.org.
The raffle will continue into August and culminate with a two-day autograph signing on Aug. 25 and 26 — part of the festivities for the three-year anniversary of Orange County Choppers' retail store on Route 17K in Montgomery. The winning ticket will be drawn by an OCC celebrity at 4 p.m. Aug. 26.
PMD Foundation to host “Out of the Darkness” Community Walk Sunday, October 4, 2009
