Patrice Bullock: A Mother’s Love, A Lifesaving Mission

Wendy & Rich 0:01
Coming to you from the Freedom Federal Credit Union Studios, Hartford County Living Presents, Conversations with Rich Bennett. 

I love being so close to you. 

I

Rich Bennett 0:27
This young lady was on the podcast. 

Patrice Bullock 0:30
love being so close to you. 

Rich Bennett 0:31
She said five years ago. It was probably five years ago. We did a roundtable. And I believe it was about... And I told her when we were 

Patrice Bullock 0:39
It 

Rich Bennett 0:39
finishing... 

Patrice Bullock 0:39
was about... 

Rich Bennett 0:40
Patrice. You have to come on the 

Patrice Bullock 0:43
podcast 

Rich Bennett 0:43
It's by 

Patrice Bullock 0:43
by yourself... 

Rich Bennett 0:44
yourself the talk 

Patrice Bullock 0:45
about... The talk about your non-profit. 

Rich Bennett 0:46
Profit. So it's taking 

Patrice Bullock 0:49
It's 

Rich Bennett 0:49
us... 

Patrice Bullock 0:49
time 

Rich Bennett 0:49
for... The year's... 

Patrice Bullock 0:50
(Laughter) 

Rich Bennett 0:53
But the fact is, I have Patrice Bullock here. The fact is, you've been busy 

Patrice Bullock 0:58
working 

Rich Bennett 0:58
this... This 

Patrice Bullock 0:58
on 

Rich Bennett 0:59
nonprofit. Building it. You've written a book. You've started your own business. Everything... And this is... First of all, those of you who listen to it... The nonprofit is... I hope I get right. Baleys Hope and Heart and Soul Foundation. 

Patrice Bullock 1:16
Baleys Heart and Soul Foundation. 

Rich Bennett 1:21
The fact of... When you started it and why you started it and where it's at now... I can see your passion. 

Patrice Bullock 1:30
It's 

Rich Bennett 1:30
for it and helping others. So yeah, this is perfect timing. 

Patrice Bullock 1:36
Thank 

Rich Bennett 1:36
you. 

Patrice Bullock 1:36
you. 

Rich Bennett 1:36
How you been? Thank 

Patrice Bullock 1:37
Thank 

Rich Bennett 1:38
you for 

Patrice Bullock 1:38
me. 

Rich Bennett 1:38
coming 

Patrice Bullock 1:38
For 

Rich Bennett 1:38
with 

Patrice Bullock 1:39
having me, I am... I'm doing great, thank you. 

Rich Bennett 1:42
Alright, so let's start... If you don't mind, for those people that don't know... Tell everybody about Baleys and how the nonprofit came about. 

Patrice Bullock 1:50
Sure. So, thank you so 

Rich Bennett 1:52
for... Oh. 

Patrice Bullock 1:52
much For having me. 

Rich Bennett 1:53
My pleasure. It's an honor, actually, to have you back on. It is. 

Patrice Bullock 1:57
Yes, it took me five years, unfortunately. But thank you. 

Rich Bennett 2:01
things always 

Patrice Bullock 2:02
Best 

Rich Bennett 2:02
take some time, right? 

Patrice Bullock 2:05
So, I am Patrice and I'm Baleys' mom. So on May 12, 2021, my son, Baley, at the time, he was 16. Running track at his high school.And  after running a 100 meter track event, he collapsed. And after he collapsed, he went into what's called Southern Cardiac Arrests. And so, for those of you who are listening and you're wondering, what is Southern Cardiac Arrests? And so, Southern Cardiac Arrests is when someone becomes... Paul's less. They do not have a pulse. They are not responding. They are not breathing. And they are not moving. And so, those are the classical symptoms or the classical signs for us to identify when someone is in Southern Cardiac Arrests. And so, Baley collapsed. During that time, CPR was not offered immediately. And everything is a learning curve. 

Rich Bennett 3:01
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 3:02
And so, because of that, and the awareness that's needed, the Baleys Heart and Soul Foundation was birthed to... Yes, was birthed from that incident to bring the awareness. So, when incidents like these occur, that everyone can be prepared. Like, they know exactly what needs to be done. 

Rich Bennett 3:28
I cannot believe it's been five years. I remember the day that happened. I'm never forget, I was sitting at home, and I think the first post was on social media, which does not surprise me. And because 

Patrice Bullock 3:47
my 

Rich Bennett 3:47
few daughters had all my daughters, my nieces, even though they were no longer going there, they had already graduated. Went to that school. Everybody knows that somebody went to that 

Patrice Bullock 3:57
Right. 

Rich Bennett 3:57
school. And they hit the community hard. 

Patrice Bullock 4:01
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 4:01
Very hard. And I think that's a day that... you know, it comes to local things. Everybody remembers 9-11. 

Patrice Bullock 4:10
Where 

Rich Bennett 4:10
they were, Kennedy stuff like 

Patrice Bullock 4:12
that. Community-wise, 

Rich Bennett 4:13
I think 

Patrice Bullock 4:14
everybody 

Rich Bennett 4:14
remembers 

Patrice Bullock 4:15
Absolutely. That was, yeah. That was definitely a community 

Rich Bennett 4:21
that. 

Patrice Bullock 4:21
impact 

Rich Bennett 4:21
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 4:21
in such a negative way. You know, because Baleys was only 16. He was a student athlete. 

Rich Bennett 4:28
And great shape, too. 

Patrice Bullock 4:30
Yes. That boy is 65, 

Rich Bennett 4:34
Wow. 

Patrice Bullock 4:34
66, 185 pounds. So, he was and is still the love of my 

Rich Bennett 4:40
life. Right. 

Patrice Bullock 4:41
And that's one of the reasons why I just pour into this foundation so much. Because a mother's love? Uh, mother's love, and now, you know, as I am growing up, and still continue to grow, now I see why my mom pours so much into her kids, because a mother's love is just unsuffable. 

Rich Bennett 5:01
I said, before we start recording, we were talking, and you mentioned his rest in places in Florida. Why Florida? 

Patrice Bullock 5:09
So Bailey's rest in place is, and I'm like, heaven's child, when I, he's like all over me, right? So, Bailey and I, we were just so connected. 

Rich Bennett 5:19
Right. 

Patrice Bullock 5:20
L, extremely connected. Uhm, he was like one of my best friends, right? So the other kids were in, uhm, college, doing their own thing, and so Bailey and I, we lived home together. My partner, Donovan, has family in Florida, and so we would travel quite often, 

Rich Bennett 5:38
Okay. 

Patrice Bullock 5:38
quite frequently to Florida. And so, even in the midst of COVID, and with, uhm, travel, privilege 

Rich Bennett 5:46
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 5:46
during that time, and, you know, with kids staying home, Bailey had the lugs where he was able to travel while doing school remotely. And so, even prior to COVID, Florida, 

Rich Bennett 5:59
Florida. 

Patrice Bullock 5:59
Florida, 

Rich Bennett 5:59
Right. 

Patrice Bullock 6:00
He loves the warmth, he loves the weather. My background is Jamaican, you know, sometimes my accent is a little thick of an other days. 

Rich Bennett 6:08
You have an accent? 

Patrice Bullock 6:09
I do. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 6:11
[Laughter] 

Patrice Bullock 6:12
Yeah, man. I do have a... [Laughter] 

Rich Bennett 6:15
Yes. Y'all mind? [Laughter] Yes. 

Patrice Bullock 6:19
Sometimes I do, sometimes we talk to the Jamaican. 

Rich Bennett 6:22
[Laughter] 

Patrice Bullock 6:22
Yes, so I am Jamaican, and so, uhm, we would travel quite frequently to Jamaica, and Bailey enjoyed the warm weather, you know. He actually taught himself to swim 

Rich Bennett 6:36
Really? 

Patrice Bullock 6:36
while he was in Jamaica. Yes, I can talk about that boy forever. The year prior, we went to Jamaica, and Bailey challenged me, and he was like, "Mom, can you swim?" And I said no, and he's like, "I have a problem. I have a problem with Jamaicans." Yes, he did. He said, "I have a problem with Jamaicans coming from the land of the Caribbean where there's all this water." And water so much everywhere, and they cannot swim that 

Rich Bennett 7:06
[Laughter] 

Patrice Bullock 7:06
like, "This really makes sense to you." And he was like, "Watch me, I'm gonna show you how it's done, and as a mom, I'm nervous." 

Rich Bennett 7:15
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 7:15
Yeah. I mean, look at the blue Caribbean, I mean... Right, and so we got to Jamaica, and he's like, "Okay, this is the day, I'm gonna learn how to swim." And my heart was pounding, and I was like, "No, don't do it." And so my daughter Brianna, she was like, "Mom, just calm, he's going to start in the pool." And she actually video taped it, and he literally taught himself to swim. 

Rich Bennett 7:41
Wow. 

Patrice Bullock 7:41
That one day, like, "Yes, jumped in, and yeah, and yeah, so he loved the warmth." And so, you know, in addition to that, he also wanted to go to Florida State. 

Rich Bennett 7:54
Okay. 

Patrice Bullock 7:54
So as young as he was at 16, we had so many conversations that I didn't know. And I'm not sure if it was intended or planned like that without me even knowing that I was preparing for this kind 

Rich Bennett 8:11
moment. 

Patrice Bullock 8:11
of a 

Rich Bennett 8:12
Right. 

Patrice Bullock 8:12
And so we talked about Florida State, you know, that was actually the year that we started talking about, "Hey, so next year, you're gonna be a junior, you're a sophomore." He was into football. That was his go-to wide receiver. He loved the sports. And he had his eyes on Florida State, so we were really in that process of starting 

Rich Bennett 8:34
planning. Looking at 

Patrice Bullock 8:35
it. Looking to see, you know, how he was going to develop into his little self and, you know, contribute to society. And when I had to make that decision, it was just fitting. 

Rich Bennett 8:50
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 8:51
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 8:51
Wow. Did you learn how to swim yet? 

Patrice Bullock 8:54
No. I still 

Rich Bennett 8:54
have a... (Laughs) 

Patrice Bullock 8:57
Now. 

Rich Bennett 8:59
That's amazing that the fact that he taught himself a lot of times. That's how people learn how to swim is, I know like my father, my grandfather took him out on boot. And then he threw him overboard and said, "Sink or swim." And a lot of times that's how people learn 

Patrice Bullock 9:16
Exactly. 

Rich Bennett 9:17
as they get older. Because they always say when they're a baby, that's the best time to introduce them to water. Well, think about it when they're in the womb. So, 

Patrice Bullock 9:27
Right. 

Rich Bennett 9:27
I assume... 

Patrice Bullock 9:29
Basically. 

Rich Bennett 9:30
Unfortunately, after, you know, who's 16 when he passed? 

Patrice Bullock 9:33
He was 

Rich Bennett 9:34
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 9:34
16. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 9:35
Yeah. Yeah. Um, and then how is Finland after that that you started the foundation it was 

Patrice Bullock 9:41
It 

Rich Bennett 9:41
very 

Patrice Bullock 9:42
was like within a month. 

Rich Bennett 9:43
I thought. 

Patrice Bullock 9:43
Yes, it was within a month. If anyone for those of you who know me and as you guys continue to know me, I am just so super connected to my kids. 

Rich Bennett 9:53
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 9:53
Yeah. Um, I am. I call them the four bees. I call them the kids. And so we are just such a connected. Four plus one. 

Rich Bennett 10:05
Four bees. 

Patrice Bullock 10:06
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 10:06
Yeah. I have to ask you why the four bees. 

Patrice Bullock 10:08
So their dad is B and I wanted to keep it in the B family. 

Rich Bennett 10:12
Okay. 

Patrice Bullock 10:13
So and their last name is B. So they're all BB. 

Rich Bennett 10:16
Okay. Got you. I 

Patrice Bullock 10:17
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 10:17
knew that. I was 

Patrice Bullock 10:17
touched. 

Rich Bennett 10:17
just 

Patrice Bullock 10:21
Yes, they're all baby 

Rich Bennett 10:23
Okay, now are they involved with the nonprofit as well? 

Patrice Bullock 10:26
So my kids are involved however, they're like back behind the scene 

Rich Bennett 10:32
Right. 

Patrice Bullock 10:32
and and This is I'm thankful that you asked that question because as a grieve in 

Rich Bennett 10:38
Yeah 

Patrice Bullock 10:38
mom your kids They completely grieve differently. 

Rich Bennett 10:43
Oh, yeah, everybody. 

Patrice Bullock 10:44
and yes, and I think that is something that we all need to be able to as moms to be able to embrace and You know definitely be respectful so They all play a different role and I'll just give you an example My daughter for example, Brianna. 

Rich Bennett 11:01
Yeah 

Patrice Bullock 11:01
She likes to check the boxes. She reads everything 

Rich Bennett 11:04
Okay, 

Patrice Bullock 11:04
She goes to the scenes and she looks at the layout and if something Oh now this should be adjusted So she's like that behind 

Rich Bennett 11:12
scene 

Patrice Bullock 11:12
the 

Rich Bennett 11:12
right 

Patrice Bullock 11:13
behind the person the social media So she does things from behind the scene 

Rich Bennett 11:18
Which is important too. 

Patrice Bullock 11:19
which is so important and you know She's definitely someone that I she was like Bailey's mom 

Rich Bennett 11:25
Yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 11:25
Bailey's second mom and so She's someone I can definitely. Hey, what do you think about this? What do you think about that? And The boys they're also behind the scene. They're more involved like in the track 

Rich Bennett 11:38
and feel Okay, 

Patrice Bullock 11:39
the outdoor, but if it's something that's in door where they're seeing Everyone 

Rich Bennett 11:45
right 

Patrice Bullock 11:45
feeling the the weight of the grieve. I mean cuz who wants to lose a Erceble and it's painful. 

Rich Bennett 11:52
It is. It is and the thing is and Those of you listening if you if you you may not understand this, I don't believe the grieving ever stops I also believe well, I don't believe I know know it is firsthand Even as you know with siblings even siblings that come after the fact when my daughter was born after we lost our first daughter But yes, she still carries that weight on her It's and everybody does grieve difference you have to let let them grieve But at the same time I think that that grieving helps then do something better as well. Just like with the nonprofit 

Patrice Bullock 12:37
Yes, yes, yes, absolutely, you know, 

Rich Bennett 12:41
and they're still your rock 

Patrice Bullock 12:43
oh definitely. 

Rich Bennett 12:44
Yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 12:44
Yeah, yeah, yeah definitely 

Rich Bennett 12:46
some kids would just couldn't handle and would move away and stay out of communication and everything some parents would do that as well but the That rock the foundation of a family having each other's back support each other is very important 

Patrice Bullock 13:05
absolutely and you know, and that's one of the things that I'm forever thankful for because that relationship with the four bees 

Rich Bennett 13:12
Yes, 

Patrice Bullock 13:12
and myself when you know barely fall to his demise 

the fact that we had such a great bond 

Rich Bennett 13:23
Yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 13:23
Yeah, then we were able to why did that stinker? Did something like that? Why didn't you tell us what you were thinking? Was there something going on? Did we miss something but not only that we also say what would barely have done right What would barely have done and so you know with my book 8 minute 45 second It's a lot of me talking to Bailey 

Rich Bennett 13:48
Okay, 

Patrice Bullock 13:48
it's a yes, it's it's personal. It's intimate. It's me having that conversation with my child Hey, Bales. Let me tell you what's going on today 

Rich Bennett 13:59
Eight minutes 45 seconds. Explain that 

Patrice Bullock 14:02
the 8 minute and 45 second while not focusing on the day of May 12, 

Rich Bennett 14:07
right So 

Patrice Bullock 14:08
2021 That was really the amount of time that it took before by standards really realized that they needed 

Rich Bennett 14:16
so 

Patrice Bullock 14:16
to do 

Rich Bennett 14:16
really Yeah 

Patrice Bullock 14:17
Yeah, so the eight minute 45 second is something that has resonated with me and continue to resonate with me because a part of bringing the awareness is we grow and we learn but a part of bringing awareness. It's also that community and people realize that every second matters. 

Rich Bennett 14:43
Yes, 

Patrice Bullock 14:44
every second count, right? We don't want to get to the minute. So let's stop and address this 

Rich Bennett 14:51
yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 14:51
every second. So when someone does collapse. If we can get to that person within seconds right away and while we're talking about that, it was just recently, I just got an email yesterday where a teacher in Montgomery County. It's now back to school season collapse. And the physical education teacher, the P teacher jumped into action. Of course, the principal and others all sound. 

Rich Bennett 15:21
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 15:22
But the physical education teacher credited his quick response to the training that he had just received. The athletic department had just received in the last few days in preparation for the new school year. 

Rich Bennett 15:38
CPR treatment. 

Patrice Bullock 15:40
and AED training. And 

Rich Bennett 15:41
CPR 

Patrice Bullock 15:41
so that is the Bailey Baluck act. 

Rich Bennett 15:44
It's something that I think a lot of people don't realize this, because my, my daughter is a daycare 

Patrice Bullock 15:50
teacher. 

Rich Bennett 15:50
And my sister, I also believe, has a go through because she's a flight attendant, they have to go through that training, I believe every year. And it changes. I mean, the, what my daughter told me about her child for infants, I'm like, women, they do it that way now completely different from when I 

Patrice Bullock 16:10
Yes, 

Rich Bennett 16:10
learn. 

Patrice Bullock 16:12
yes. So the new CPR guidance went into effect. I want to say March of 2026. So again, you know, the American Heart Association and other research entities as they continue to learn more. Then they up there, their knowledge and the scale. 

Rich Bennett 16:31
That wow. So you guys offer training what every year? 

Patrice Bullock 16:34
So the foundation offers training 365. 

Rich Bennett 16:39
Really. 

Patrice Bullock 16:39
Yes, throughout the year, someone reaches out. We do corporate CPR training as a matter of fact, I do have a. CPR training this afternoon for a health and wellness company. We also offer several CPR training throughout the course of the year, where we have collaborated with other vendors here in Hartford County. 

Rich Bennett 17:02
Okay, 

Patrice Bullock 17:03
And offer CPR training. And so if someone wants to do a CPR training for their household, CPR training for their business, we are, 

Rich Bennett 17:14
community. 

Patrice Bullock 17:14
for their communities, for the organizations. We also want to touch base on the Bailey Bullock Act for those of you who are listening. The Bailey Bullock Act is a legislation that was signed into action. 

Rich Bennett 17:27
Oh, it was 

Patrice Bullock 17:28
in April of 2024. 

Rich Bennett 17:31
Oh, I didn't realize that. 

Patrice Bullock 17:33
So that act requires middle and high school public and private to now have action plans in place. So when someone goes into a cardiac emergency, 

Rich Bennett 17:50
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 17:51
that they can respond. And early I made mention to the incident in Montgomery County where the PE teacher spawned interaction. And that was a part of the Bailey Bullock Act. So he was recently just trained. And so that's what the act now says that these schools must be prepared. 

Rich Bennett 18:10
That is great. And the fact that you're offering the seat. And here's the thing. are a lot of people, but I don't care. 

Patrice Bullock 18:19
There 

Rich Bennett 18:20
It's like people learned CPR years ago when they were in high school, they could be in their 50s, 60s now like me. And I know I got learned it again. So they think once they learn, fine, they're good to go. And people, I don't know what it is. And you talk about the eight minutes and 45 seconds. People are hesitant. I think. ..To start CPR in somebody, because they're afraid they may do something wrong, uhm, or make it worse, but yet, yet, is somebody's overdosing. If nor are cans available, they have no problem administering that right away, if somebody has a allergic reaction, and there's an epiphen available, but that's another story. They have no problem administering that right away. CPR, for some reason, 

it's like, people are afraid to, I don't understand 

Patrice Bullock 19:18
And you just brought up a very valid point, and it's a, it's a topic, it's a conversation that I can go down a lot of 

Rich Bennett 19:25
that. 

Patrice Bullock 19:25
different 

Rich Bennett 19:25
Right. 

Patrice Bullock 19:25
rabbit holes, uhm, but with the new CPR guidance from the American Heart Association, Narcan is now included in that CPR training. And I also want to touch a base on the Good Summarathon Act, 

Rich Bennett 19:42
the 

Patrice Bullock 19:43
and 

Rich Bennett 19:43
Good Summarathon 

Patrice Bullock 19:43
the Law. The Good Summarathon Law protects you, if indeed you're trying to assist someone during an emergency, and I also want to emphasize that CPR, performance CPR, cannot, and will not hurt someone, 

Rich Bennett 19:58
Act, 

Patrice Bullock 19:59
because the minute you start that chest compression, if that person is alert and responds... 

Rich Bennett 20:05
You're going to let you know. 

Patrice Bullock 20:07
What are you 

Rich Bennett 20:07
saying? Yeah, they're going to slide behind 

Patrice Bullock 20:09
me. Exactly. And the other thing that I also want to premise is that, in the process of doing chest compressions, and I usually ask this question, would you prefer for someone to break a few ribs and save your life? Or don't do CPR, and now you have a grieving family. 

Rich Bennett 20:33
Yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 20:33
A child that did not get to expand and live their milestones. Like, let's have this discussion. 

Rich Bennett 20:42
right. 

Patrice Bullock 20:42
Like, which, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 20:44
Well, and the thing is too, and this could be why another reason why people 

Patrice Bullock 20:48
were scared. 

Rich Bennett 20:49
I saw this not too long 

Patrice Bullock 20:51
And 

Rich Bennett 20:52
ago, a guy who, so I saved him, didn't want to see, 

Patrice Bullock 20:58
and 

Rich Bennett 20:59
the guy suing the person, because he did not want to be resuscitated. 

But it was a tattoo. So, How do you know, first of all, if a tattoo says DNR, you don't know if it means "do not recite". It could be his initials. 

Patrice Bullock 21:17
right. 

Rich Bennett 21:17
You have no idea. But the other thing is, even if you're wearing something that says "do not resuscitate", people aren't looking for that right away. You don't want them digging through your pockets, looking for your wallet to look for that, that's just adding 

Patrice Bullock 21:31
extra time on. Right. God, 

Rich Bennett 21:35
you know what, now I got another thing for you to fight for. Because the Narcan it's available. The EpiPens are expensive. Understand why schools, restaurants, I don't understand why they aren't available like Narcan Because if somebody has an allergic reaction, it 

Patrice Bullock 21:55
is. Right. 

Rich Bennett 21:56
takes no time. 

Patrice Bullock 21:57
Right. 

Rich Bennett 21:58
that's... Yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 21:59
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 21:59
that's 

Patrice Bullock 21:59
But 

Rich Bennett 21:59
a pet peeve of mine, too. 

Patrice Bullock 22:01
thanks for 

Rich Bennett 22:01
Yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 22:01
sharing that. I appreciate that. 

Rich Bennett 22:03
Well, a lot of people don't realize it's like... We had this happen. We had a cookout. 

Patrice Bullock 22:08
Uh-huh. 

Rich Bennett 22:09
And thank God my niece was there. But one of my friends eats something which I'd cinnamon in it which she's allergic to and started and my niece was there and had the EpiPen. So she was able to administer it otherwise, it's scary when you see somebody with an allergic reaction swell up. 

Patrice Bullock 22:28
Right. 

Rich Bennett 22:29
It's very scary. It looks like elephant 

Patrice Bullock 22:31
Uh-huh. 

Rich Bennett 22:31
man, you know. I am an animal. It's very scary. So with Bailey's heart and soul foundation. Five years now? Yeah, five years now. Because we're 20, 26. Five years now, you guys have been in official 501C3. You've been doing a lot. You're teaching CPR. What else is 

Patrice Bullock 22:57
Bailey's 

Rich Bennett 22:57
Bailey's 

Patrice Bullock 22:58
doing? 

Rich Bennett 22:58
doing to whether it be scholarships or whatever. What else are you guys doing to give back to the community? 

Patrice Bullock 23:04
So we do heart screenings. 

Rich Bennett 23:06
Oh. 

Patrice Bullock 23:07
We do lots of heart screenings. And so that means we do a comprehensive physical which includes an EKG. And depending on the volume of the screen. We'll do 

Rich Bennett 23:19
Right. 

Patrice Bullock 23:19
an- a cardiogram and so we have cardiologist, physicians, I'm also a nurse practitioner, in addition to a nursing home administrator. And so we have a variety of clinical personnel that we're doing screenings and these screenings are free. 

Rich Bennett 23:39
Oh, 

Patrice Bullock 23:39
yes, these screenings are free, so when we actually do events, for example, we do a bingo for Bailey's birthday. 

Rich Bennett 23:47
Okay. 

Patrice Bullock 23:48
We do a 5K and I love the 5K. 

Rich Bennett 23:52
Where do you love track and field? 

Patrice Bullock 23:53
Yes, to tie in with the track and field. So these things actually help to then support the actual hard screens, 'cause those are super, super expensive. 

Rich Bennett 24:03
Right. 

Patrice Bullock 24:04
Initially when we started out the foundation, I think we did around $40, 000 in scholarship. 

Rich Bennett 24:11
Really? 

Patrice Bullock 24:12
Yes. As a mom with a, I called it a donut heart because you have a heart with a hole that you're literally trying to, you're trying to fill it here, trying to stuff it and then you realize the more you're trying to stuff it, you're still gonna be able to put your face through that hole. And so we did the scholarships, especially was really important for the class of 2023. Since that's the year that Bailey would've graduate 

Rich Bennett 24:41
Graduate. 

Patrice Bullock 24:41
from high school. But in prioritization we realized that, okay, we give a child $5, 000 for scholarship, but how many people can we actually screen? 

Rich Bennett 24:54
And 

Patrice Bullock 24:55
so, you know, for the summer, we have screened over 1,000 kids 

Rich Bennett 25:01
this summer? 

Patrice Bullock 25:03
Yes. So I'm glad when June is over. I'm like, ooh, yes. So, 

Rich Bennett 25:09
wow, 

Patrice Bullock 25:09
yes. So we conduct at least three to four screenings in the summer. And so that's one of our biggest where we partner with MedStar, other athletic organizations, upper chess, we did one with upper chess, the peak in June as well. And I think we had 200 plus, this particular arm location here in Harvard County. So we're busy. 

Rich Bennett 25:37
It'd be nice if there was like a mobile unit that could go out and do that. 

Patrice Bullock 25:42
Yes, I need grants for those. 

Rich Bennett 25:44
Well, 

Patrice Bullock 25:44
(laughing) 

Rich Bennett 25:44
yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 25:44
Yes, yes. And another aspect of that is the mental health aspect. So I focus more on cardio informed trauma. And so it's really mental health that's focusing on those individuals who have been impacted by a condition such as a heart attack, sudden cardiac 

Rich Bennett 26:10
yes. 

Patrice Bullock 26:10
arrest. 

Rich Bennett 26:10
Okay. 

Patrice Bullock 26:10
Those who have received CPR because mental health is so broad. 

Rich Bennett 26:15
Yes. 

Patrice Bullock 26:15
And in addition to that, you know, someone, and this is just from my own personal experience and my own personal journey and my own way of grieving, that different kind of loss impacts you completely, 

Rich Bennett 26:30
differently. 

Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 26:31
And 

that they don't carry the same weight, because you've still lost a child. 

Rich Bennett 26:38
not 

Patrice Bullock 26:38
But with me losing a child to sudden cardiac arrest and also as a mom who continues to grieve. I feel, I know what the palpitations feel like. I know what the anxiety feel like. I know what the panic attack feels like. I know what the heart feels like. You know, when you're trying to sleep at night and you're not able to, so it was just so important for me to rat myself around that mental health portion of it and really focus on that niche. Cardio informed trauma. So that's another portion. And so I know I mentioned the book. Eight minute, 45 second of child's heart. And I have a journal that goes along with 

Rich Bennett 27:23
Which 

Patrice Bullock 27:24
that. 

is great for the mental health. but the other portion that's not necessarily here today, it's the ACEAC, which is the trauma portion of what's coming down the pipe. 

Rich Bennett 27:40
Okay. 

Patrice Bullock 27:40
Focuses more on that mental, that mental health. 

Rich Bennett 27:45
Well, and correct me if I'm wrong, but especially I'm glaive mental mental health, 'cause you left your job and started your own business to help with that, correct? 

Patrice Bullock 27:57
Yes. So yeah, so the short version of that is. 

Rich Bennett 28:03
(laughing) 

Patrice Bullock 28:04
So yeah, so the 

Rich Bennett 28:06
version of that is. 

Patrice Bullock 28:07
short 

Rich Bennett 28:07
I'd like the long version, but okay, go ahead. 

Patrice Bullock 28:10
The short version of that is um. you know after losing Bailey and uh, going back to my role as a nursing home administrator, I showed up but I realized that was not my passion. And so, I also have a clinical background as a nurse practitioner. So I stayed with the company and took on a role that's um, a regional clinical director so that allowed me to focus on the operation and the portion and I was able to relocate um, in the South Eastern part of Florida. And so that was um, timely because Bailey's resting place is in Florida. So even with me having a regional position where I um, oversaw, um, six communities, you know at the time, 

Rich Bennett 29:05
without 

Patrice Bullock 29:06
it was spread out, I mean, I had a community in Pensacola, Alabama, Veribige, Boca Raton, Tampa and fourth Mayors. And so, but in the process of that, I also found myself giving back to the director's of nursing um, and in my prior life, I was also a director of nursing and I also found myself giving back to nursing home administrator. 

Rich Bennett 29:33
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 29:33
Because again in those roles, there's just so much um, work, mental health when you're dealing with people, you know, in those particular roles. And so even in my regional position, I still know, it still wasn't me. 

Rich Bennett 29:49
yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 29:50
Um, 

Rich Bennett 29:50
your 

Patrice Bullock 29:51
and 

Rich Bennett 29:51
heart and mind weren't 

Patrice Bullock 29:52
No, my heart and mind wasn't in it. And you know, the role paid really, really well. Um, that's one thing I would be forever 

Rich Bennett 30:01
in it. 

Patrice Bullock 30:01
thankful. But even with what the pay and tales, it just did not give me the mental happiness 

Rich Bennett 30:09
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 30:09
that I that I that I was looking for and that I wanted. And losing a child also allows me to see the broader picture of mental health. So I am now also a mental health nurse practitioner. And um, I, I, I resigned from my position, um, June of 2026 is like a year since I um, did that 

Rich Bennett 30:34
do me a favor because when we were talking before we started recording, I loved the story you told me about when you sent that resignation letter in and what your son said to you, your other son. 

Patrice Bullock 30:48
Yeah, so um, so once I lost Bailey, I wrote my resignation letter. Um, and even though I wrote my resignation letter, I still went back to work like three months after. But each day that I showed up and I'm looking at the picture, Bailey's picture on the wall, the tears, the tears. I mean, I, I, I could, I cried my 

Rich Bennett 31:13
yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 31:14
yes. And so, and realizing that every weekend, I was also going to Florida because Bailey's rest in places in Florida. And so I would show up every Thursday. Sometimes I would show up at the gravesite. o'clock in the morning, 

Rich Bennett 31:30
Wow, 

Patrice Bullock 31:30
two o'clock in the morning. It'll be pitch dark and I show up there, but this just shows you when a mom is grieving, she does anything for her child because she, that's no longer here. 

Rich Bennett 31:46
one 

Patrice Bullock 31:46
Right? And so I would, I would show up. And as soon as morning comes by, it 'll clock in the morning, I was back there. And so I did that four minutes and my, my, my job at the time realized that I was spending a lot of time in Florida. And so they offered me another administrative position. And I was like, no, thank you. And they were like, it's a position in Florida. You'll be close to your son. And I was like, no, I, I have no interest, which was surprising because at that time, I was working as a nursing home administrator. And so another offer was presented and it was like, okay, with your clinical background and your administrative 

Rich Bennett 32:24
background, 

Patrice Bullock 32:25
hmm, we have a regional clinical operator position in Florida. Yeah. You would be perfect for it. And so after speaking with my family, um, was like, okay, let's try it. 

Rich Bennett 32:37
And right. 

Patrice Bullock 32:37
It's better than you have it. Nothing because I was going to walk away with nothing, 

Rich Bennett 32:42
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 32:42
right? And so I took the position, but even in the role of the position, I realized that I was not sure. I know it was not for me. It was not what was bringing me happiness. But however, I had my resignation letter that was written from 2021. And each year, or every so often, I went to my computer and I retweet my It's 

Rich Bennett 33:12
[BLANK_AUDIO]

Patrice Bullock 33:13
almost as though I was like, if I have a bullet, I'm going to make... hits. And so that bullet was my resignation letter, and so I continued retweeking it, retweeking

Rich Bennett 33:24
it. You're listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett. We'll be right back. 

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Patrice Bullock 34:53
But the caveat to that was my daughter who was living in Boston at the time, like each time I told her that I'm resigning, she would be like, gir, be like, girl, don't do anything. Wait until I come to Maryland. And she would just say, and it took me a while. And then I was like, she needs help with her, she needs help with her rent. And so the longer that she could keep me employed, right? She knew that her supplemental money was coming. And so it got to the point where I was like I am not consulting with my 

Rich Bennett 35:32
she would 

Patrice Bullock 35:32
daughter, and I'm not consulting with Donovan. And so in 2025, I flew in from Pensacola. I had a hard screen in schedule here in Maryland, here in Hartford County. And so I came in the Friday night, did the screening, the Saturday morning, and I was tired. I was tired. And went to bed. And Sunday morning is I'm sleeping in bed just relaxing. And for those of you who have lost a child, lost a family member. And if you believe in science, I do. And it's almost like I heard someone says, what are you doing? And it sounded like barely to me, right? It sounded like him. And so I was like, you're right. What am I doing? And so I out of that bed, got my computer. I had a new Mac at the time. And I was still learning 

Rich Bennett 36:26
And 

Patrice Bullock 36:26
the Mac technology process. And so I retrieved that, retrieved my resignation letter, send it in, did a stamp for Monday morning at eight o'clock because it was like a Sunday morning. And I knew, and I was ready. Because I knew when I placed my resignation letter that will have no regret and no hesitation because I knew I was walking away from a substantial salary 

Rich Bennett 36:54
right 

Patrice Bullock 36:55
to nothing. So I knew that. So I went from I didn't have to think what I needed to buy to I knew that I would have to be conscientious. And so once I got downstairs and you know my hobby looks at me and he was like, you look happy. I was like, I do. Is that obvious? I placed my resignation letter and he says, we'll figure it out. 

Rich Bennett 37:26
I support right. 

Patrice Bullock 37:27
He says we'll figure it out. It will work. We will make that happen. And once I reached out to my oldest son who was living in Pennsylvania at the time, he said, um, you should have done this long time ago. 

Rich Bennett 37:41
Really? 

Patrice Bullock 37:42
Yes. And he says, but do me a favor. Make sure that you do not go back and pick up anything similar. 

Rich Bennett 37:52
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 37:52
To what you're walking away from. And this was my oldest. And he says, ever since I've known you, you've been hustling, mom. 

Rich Bennett 38:02
Yeah. 

Alright. So you heard barely that night. Do you? Because when you were talking earlier, you said everybody, every year you kept reaching everybody was like, well, let's think about 

Patrice Bullock 38:17
I thought this. 

Rich Bennett 38:18
this. 

Patrice Bullock 38:18
Uh huh. 

Rich Bennett 38:19
And you said it was your husband that said you looked so happy. And, do you think barely talk to them that night as well? 

Patrice Bullock 38:27
You know, as I'm talking to you I always feel the little chill, right? I am that mom that believes. 

And, uhm, you know, even my daughter, she'd be like, 'Mom, I was sleeping and I saw barely'. And, you know, whatever they talk about. 

Rich Bennett 39:00
Right. 

Patrice Bullock 39:01
And, uhm, I feel as though I'm always having a visitation from barely. And, for those of you who are listening, my 8-minute 45 second book, even though that is the title, it's really a lot of sentimental, intimate moments. I mean, if I was sleeping and I had a dream and barely visited me, it's 

Rich Bennett 39:23
in the 

Patrice Bullock 39:24
yeah. It's 

Rich Bennett 39:24
book, 

Patrice Bullock 39:24
in my book, because this was literally my journal to begin with. 

Rich Bennett 39:28
yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 39:28
So, this is you literally seeing the raw side of my grief. And, the raw side of my grief is not to judge me. That is my grief. That's how I was feeling during that moment. I just lost my child. What else can you expect from me? 

Rich Bennett 39:42
When was the book actually 

Patrice Bullock 39:44
published? So, the book came out August the 7th. 

Rich Bennett 39:48
Oh. 

Patrice Bullock 39:49
So, the book is relatively... About 

Rich Bennett 39:50
a week, so, those days listen. We're recording this on August. What is today? 

Patrice Bullock 39:53
28th. 

Rich Bennett 39:54
28th? 

Patrice Bullock 39:54
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 39:55
Wow. 

Patrice Bullock 39:55
So, the book is relatively young. But, however, I started my... 

Rich Bennett 40:01
I should think book, too. 

Patrice Bullock 40:02
It is a thick book. I just opened a page, and this is August 12th on page 107 of 2021. 

So, I started this 

diary quite early in my grieving process. I started by immediately writing to my son Bailey. Because if I didn't, I probably would have lost 

Rich Bennett 40:29
it. Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 40:30
I probably would have lost it. 

Rich Bennett 40:33
And the thing is, because I've heard of other people write books like that. 

Patrice Bullock 40:37
So, I started mine out with May 12th, 2021, and I said, "Dear diary, traditionally, may is a big month in our family. My birthday is May. May 5th. More of this day falls somewhere in the middle. And on May 29th, the twins, Bri and Bran celebrate theirs. And then, I started talking about what happened that day. So, I started my journal, May 12th, 2021. And, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 41:08
We meant... Okay, so, he passed on May 12th? 

Patrice Bullock 41:12
He passed on May 12th. 

Rich Bennett 41:14
Oh, my God. 

Patrice Bullock 41:15
And I went into journal mode. 

Rich Bennett 41:16
I did not realize, first of all, I did not realize May 5th was your birthday. 

Patrice Bullock 41:21
And 

Rich Bennett 41:21
then, the twins birthday in May. But, that's very real Mother's 

Patrice Bullock 41:25
2. 

Rich Bennett 41:25
Day 

Patrice Bullock 41:26
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 41:28
my God. Wow. 

Patrice Bullock 41:31
Yeah. So, you know, some around Mother's Day, and when I'm really having those, you know, that conversation. And I will say this, that prior to me losing Bailey, my faith was definitely a lot stronger. 

Rich Bennett 41:47
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 41:48
Definitely a lot stronger. But, I could talk a lot. But, I remember, you know, saying to God, my birthday is May 5th. Mother's Day is in the middle. Bailey passed on May 12th. The twins birthday is May 29th. What else can I bear in the month of May? 

Rich Bennett 42:11
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 42:12
So, my emotions, the ripple effect, the wave. And so, May for me is like the worst 

Rich Bennett 42:22
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 42:22
month that you can ever imagine. 

Rich Bennett 42:26
Mmm, my 

Patrice Bullock 42:26
God. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 42:27
I, I just, I never realized all that, 

Patrice Bullock 42:30
mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 42:31
And, oh, shoot. And you also, dad, did you, you wrote the journal to go along with the book? 

Patrice Bullock 42:40
Yes. So, the journal came after, but the wording of the book was literally me going through my day. If it was 1 a. m. in the night, and I feel like I needed to journal, 

Rich Bennett 42:54
you would get up and do it. 

Patrice Bullock 42:55
Dear journal, or sometimes I'll say dear bales. 

Rich Bennett 43:00
The thing is Patrice. And I've talked to other people that have done similar things like this and those books help other people. 

Patrice Bullock 43:09
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 43:10
And I have a funny feeling you knew that. I think that's why you decided to publish it. Or make it a book to share your story and help other people. Am I right? Or wrong. 

Patrice Bullock 43:19
So, my intent was not to publish my journal. My, 

Rich Bennett 43:25
my told you to. 

Patrice Bullock 43:26
Someone told me 

Rich Bennett 43:27
Uh-huh. 

Patrice Bullock 43:27
to. my intent because I am... "Pry to me, losing barely. Yeah." "I was not this vulnerable. I was such a reclusive person." 

Rich Bennett 43:41
"Really?" 

Patrice Bullock 43:42
"Yeah, it's an introvert. 

Rich Bennett 43:45
You?" 

Patrice Bullock 43:45
"Yes, you would not even see me on social media." 

Rich Bennett 43:48
"Okay." 

Patrice Bullock 43:49
"For, you know, for the purpose of, yes, go back and look at when uhm, someone first interviewed me in May. 

Rich Bennett 43:57
Compared to now when you were just on TV? Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 44:00
"Yes, I, 

Rich Bennett 44:01
I, I, 

Patrice Bullock 44:01
I had no clue what I was 

Rich Bennett 44:03
"Right." 

Patrice Bullock 44:03
doing." 

Rich Bennett 44:04
"Wow, that's amazing." 

Patrice Bullock 44:06
"I had no clue." "Yes." 

Rich Bennett 44:08
"Somebody's guiding you." 

Patrice Bullock 44:10
"It has to be that boy 

Rich Bennett 44:12
"I 

Patrice Bullock 44:12
guiding." 

Rich Bennett 44:12
believe so." 

Patrice Bullock 44:13
"It has to be barely, but one of the things in "Pry to us" started on the tape end and I said, you know, one of the things that make, um, this journey, that makes this journey so much easier is the relationship that we, that we have had. And so, one of Bailey's favorite saying is, "If you want to get something done, ask my mommy Patrice Bollock and he would, as young, he was just such an old person in such a young body. And so those are the guidance, those are the, the, you know, I'm going to, his own proverb 

Rich Bennett 44:54
"Right." 

Patrice Bullock 44:56
"That we're literally using to propel us forward." 

Rich Bennett 45:00
"Who did the cover for that?" 

Patrice Bullock 45:03
"So I, I, I, um, okay, so 

Rich Bennett 45:06
is..." 

Patrice Bullock 45:06
this 

Rich Bennett 45:06
"It's a beautiful 

Patrice Bullock 45:07
"Yeah, so I, I worked with the team to actually help to get the cover because I took a few professional 

Rich Bennett 45:12
cup." 

Patrice Bullock 45:13
pictures 

Rich Bennett 45:13
"Okay." 

Patrice Bullock 45:13
and my daughter was like, this is not what we talked about." "And so I did a first set of pictures and of course I'm not going to say, I wasted money on it, but it just was not the 

Rich Bennett 45:28
I 

Patrice Bullock 45:28
relationship that 

Rich Bennett 45:28
went 

Patrice Bullock 45:29
with Bailey. And then we did another set of pictures and it still wasn't. And so my daughter and I kept talking back and forth because I said, you know, I want to be able to be looking at the sky, looking at the cloud. And it's almost as though I want to see my child coming towards me. So I had that envision, yes. "Wow." "Yes, yes." So I, had that envision in me and, you know, it took us a minute, but my daughter's like my biggest guiding star, guiding light. If it's not what I envision, 

Rich Bennett 46:09
"Yeah." 

Patrice Bullock 46:09
doesn't matter if I spent $1000 for it, she's going to be like, don't use it. That's not what, that's not what we talked about. 

Rich Bennett 46:15
"Those of you listening, the cover, and I'll take you this as you?" 

Patrice Bullock 46:20
"Yes." 

Rich Bennett 46:22
"It's it's a beautiful cover. But you see Patrice sitting in a, like a meadow, a bed full of flowers and looking up at the clouds. She's holding a football." I'm going to see if you had structures on, but just... And in the clouds, you see Bailey looking, oh my god, I'm going to start crying. 

Patrice Bullock 46:44
"Yes." "Oh, 

Rich Bennett 46:46
jeez, that's amazing. And who did the artwork? 

Patrice Bullock 46:50
So the artwork is, say, that media. 

Rich Bennett 46:54
Okay." 

Patrice Bullock 46:54
Yes, they have a person that they were able to connect me to. Once I show them exactly, you know, discuss with them what I'm looking for. "Is 

Rich Bennett 47:03
this self-published or are you republish her?" "This 

Patrice Bullock 47:06
is self-published." 

Rich Bennett 47:07
"So, because it says, "best seller" on, take it, "Amazon best seller?" "Yes." 

Patrice Bullock 47:10
"Yes." 

Rich Bennett 47:11
"Already?" "Yes." "And it just came out a few weeks ago." "That's amazing. Congratulations." 

Patrice Bullock 47:18
"Thank you." 

Rich Bennett 47:19
"Now, by chance, is it, or are you planning on putting it in audio form as well?" "I 

Patrice Bullock 47:26
"Yes, yes, I will be put in an audio form." It's a thick book. 

Rich Bennett 47:32
know." "Tell me you're going to be... it's going to be your voice." 

Patrice Bullock 47:36
"It's going to be my 

Rich Bennett 47:37
"Thank 

Patrice Bullock 47:37
voice." 

Rich Bennett 47:38
God." 

Patrice Bullock 47:38
"It's going to be... yes, it's going to be my voice." I think, you know, with... readers and the audience hearing the mom 

Rich Bennett 47:48
"Yes." 

Patrice Bullock 47:49
and 

Rich Bennett 47:49
The 

Patrice Bullock 47:49
the emotion, the highs, the lows, it will be able to resonate with them more than having someone else to narrate it. So, it's... it's going to be Bailey's mom. 

Rich Bennett 48:02
of you listening, now I'm going to put her on the spot so she's got to do it. But the podcast I do, the author, pitch, you're going to be able 

Patrice Bullock 48:09
"Those 

Rich Bennett 48:09
to hear her read an excerpt from it and talk even more about the book because that's why I asked her, she was going to be recore." "Her cell." "Don't you love the way I put you on the 

Patrice Bullock 48:20
"Yes." 

Rich Bennett 48:20
spot?" "There." "So something important." "All right, actually, no, let me... with the book, 

because..." 

Patrice Bullock 48:29
"Well, let's face it..." 

Rich Bennett 48:30
nobody becomes an author to make a million dollars. Are the proceeds going back to the foundation or to help print out more books? Because it's basically print on demand, 

Patrice Bullock 48:42
Right. 

Rich Bennett 48:42
right? 

Patrice Bullock 48:42
So it's print on demand. So people can actually order their books on Amazon and the good thing with me being local, those individuals in Hartford County, they're like, "My book just arrived in the mail. When can you author?" 

Rich Bennett 48:57
Yes. When 

Patrice Bullock 48:58
can you sign it? Yes. So individuals or local, once they do order the book on Amazon, they know I'm local. 

Rich Bennett 49:08
Any plans on writing another book? 

Patrice Bullock 49:11
Absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 49:12
I was going to say, because it seems like once the bug bites you. 

Patrice Bullock 49:15
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 49:16
It's okay. 

Patrice Bullock 49:17
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 49:17
What kind of book? 

Patrice Bullock 49:19
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 49:19
Share? 

Patrice Bullock 49:20
So I mentioned... There's just like so many things that's going on in my... A, I talked about the Trauma-informed series that's more for the mental health. But with grief, the things that no one tells you 

Rich Bennett 49:40
the 

Patrice Bullock 49:40
before and after. You know, the person that I was on May the 11th is not the person that I came out on May 13th. So that bridge... 

That bridge? Yes. Yeah. That bridge. 

Rich Bennett 50:01
There... Wow. Everything you've been through. I mean, there are stories you could write, nonfiction, even guide books. 

Because we... I think we talked about this briefly when you were on last time. Starting on profit, it is hard work. But it doesn't take as long as everybody thinks either to get that 501c3 and you just keep going with 

Patrice Bullock 50:29
it. 

Rich Bennett 50:29
I am very proud of you because I been keeping an eye on Belly's Heart and Soul Foundation throughout the years. That's why I featured you guys sometimes. But everything that you're doing is amazing. So if somebody wants to, let's say, an organization, which I'm going to have you come talk to our Lions Club, by the way, an organization wants to do like CPR training, whether it be for the community, whether it be for daycare school or anything. How do they get in touch with you to get it set up? 

Patrice Bullock 51:03
Belly's Heart and Soul. org, or BbHS Foundation at gmail.com. Or they can give me a call for for three, eight, seven, six, six, six, nine, two. We are on social media. We are on Facebook. We're on Instagram. I am on TikTok. 

Rich Bennett 51:19
You're on TikTok? 

Patrice Bullock 51:19
I do. I do TikTok series. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 51:23
Miss, I don't like social media. Now you're like becoming the social media queen? I 

Patrice Bullock 51:32
walk with my my stick. So it's 

Rich Bennett 51:38
God, 

Patrice Bullock 51:38
Yes, 

Rich Bennett 51:39
that is awesome. 

Patrice Bullock 51:40
um, yes, was not a social media person. but at 16, losing a 

Rich Bennett 51:47
Yeah, 

Patrice Bullock 51:47
child, who else is going to speak for my 16 year old son? And when Belly's heart stopped, his life still continues. And so we are, as a family, we are propelling that mission because when a child is screened and we identify a condition that could have been potentially being lethal, especially for those kids who are playing sports. 

Rich Bennett 52:13
Yes. 

Patrice Bullock 52:13
Southern cardiac arrest is the number one killer amount student athletes. Exactly. And so when we do those heart screenings and we identify just one, we're not excellent for many. We're like so excited. Mission accomplished. And so even when there is an incident of Southern cardiac arrest on school campus or anywhere here in the state of Maryland, and so people are just much more equipped, right? And so the awareness is just so much needed. And so it's a journey, it's a mission that, who else? 

Rich Bennett 52:48
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 52:49
Better to. 

Rich Bennett 52:50
I, I think Belly is looking down at you and I'm sure you've probably seen us in your dreams, telling you how proud he is of you, but mainly thanking you for doing this and raising awareness and helping other people to prevent what he went through. 

Patrice Bullock 53:12
Right. 

Rich Bennett 53:13
Eight minutes 45 seconds. It's not a long time. It's when you told me the title, the first thing that came to mind, and I don't know if people realize how long this takes. The number 8. Think of eight seconds with a rodeo, somebody riding a bull. It's a, it's, not a lot of those bull riders can stay on for eight seconds. And if you watch it, that's a long time but eight minutes and 45 seconds. 

Patrice Bullock 53:42
Wow. 

Rich Bennett 53:44
Wow. That's just unreal. Um. God and your business. 

Patrice Bullock 53:52
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 53:52
How could people get in touch with you for your 

Patrice Bullock 53:55
business? So our business is spun off from the Bailey's Heart and Soul Foundation. It's called Heart and Soul Family Health and Wellness. And that is where we offer primary care. And we also offer mental health. In addition to the cardio informed trauma. Mental health has spec of it. So especially for moms. And anyone that's grieving, sometimes just having that 

Rich Bennett 54:20
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 54:20
connection. Um, where we're able to walk you through your grief process. Um, some individuals may require some medications. And sometimes others may just need someone who really understand, 

Rich Bennett 54:33
yes. 

Patrice Bullock 54:33
They are going through and, um, that's why we do what we do. 

Rich Bennett 54:40
Well, you know what this means we're going to have to do another round table. And we've done a couple of mental health roundtables and we need to do another one. And I think the last one we did it was actually a live recording. I don't think I'm going to do that again, but we had New Launder, Robert on. I don't know if you know her or not. We had somebody on um, the American Legion talk about veterans. So yeah, everybody we've had uneven Wendy 

Patrice Bullock 55:09
from, 

Rich Bennett 55:09
from region gets addiction a couple, a few others. because it's important. 

Patrice Bullock 55:15
Yes, 

Rich Bennett 55:15
Yes. And I don't think I don't enough. I probably do one once a year. But to me, that's still 

Patrice Bullock 55:22
enough. 

Rich Bennett 55:22
not So we're, we're going to have to do another round. I'm just debating whether to do it. Like we did here or did doing it. Audience came. 

Patrice Bullock 55:32
I think an audience. Um, 

Rich Bennett 55:33
an audience. Okay, well, you you told me so I'm going to do 

Patrice Bullock 55:36
I 

Rich Bennett 55:36
it. 

Patrice Bullock 55:36
think an audience. I love that panel. 

Rich Bennett 55:39
Yeah. Yeah. It does make it well, that's what we did. We had it was a mental health panel. I didn't talk. I ran the board. I had ryania Nessar from the Harvard County Health Department. She was the moderator. She did an awesome job. If I could just have her as a co host all the time. Well, I'm sorry, Tammy and everybody else I did not see that. The coach gonna get mad at me. The um, because I know with the foundation, you guys always rely on their nations and grants are not the bad and not everybody can. Do you all for sponsorships as well? To businesses? 

Patrice Bullock 56:21
What do you mean? 

Rich Bennett 56:22
In other words, I know some you'll see some, maybe it's just for events. 

Patrice Bullock 56:26
Yeah, so we do, we do sponsorship and I'll give you an example. I had a church that reach out to us last week that they would want to have an AED. 

Rich Bennett 56:37
We also. Okay. 

Patrice Bullock 56:37
We also do AED donations and so AEDs can be very expensive. So in that essence, what we'll do is reach out to a local organization, whether or not that's a credit union or an entity to sponsor that AED, for that particular church to cover the cause. And so we go in and we teach the CPR and they're then getting an AED. And so they're able to mount their AED to the charge. And so the church now, they are equipped by knowing CPR. And in case someone within their audience collapse, they can actually perform CPR. I'll give you a quick example. It was probably two or three years ago. One of the churches involved tomorrow and I still go there. It's a huge mega charge. We did our first initial CPR demonstration there. And so after doing the CPR demonstration a week or two later, someone in their audience during Sunday collapse. 

Rich Bennett 57:39
Wow. 

Patrice Bullock 57:39
And they had to perform CPR. And so I will you know, I was surprised getting a call back on a Sunday. When can you come back out to do CPR certification? So the takeaway is sudden cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, anytime to anyone. 

Rich Bennett 57:56
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 57:56
Be prepared. 

Rich Bennett 57:58
No matter what age. 

Patrice Bullock 57:59
No matter what age, hesitation costs lives being prepared. Save lives. 

Rich Bennett 58:05
Wow. All right. So those of you listening, if we travel around the country to do it too, 

Patrice Bullock 58:11
oh, absolutely 

Rich Bennett 58:12
around the world, if they just cover the expenses. 

Patrice Bullock 58:14
I will, I will go wherever I'm needed. Um, I will go wherever I'm 

needed, I will go where I'm needed. I will go wherever I'm needed. And then they need someone to do a difference spin, um, by all names, I, I, I am, that flexible. 

Rich Bennett 58:54
You know what the funny thing is. How did you mention that? You see all these different festivals and everything. And I think of all the stuff that goes on like tomonium fairgrounds, even with a fair. It's a smart idea to have something 

Patrice Bullock 59:11
. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 59:12
Because kind of news. Not enough people know how to do it. And all you're listening, especially your business owners, I'm going to challenge you to do this as well. Purchase the trees is book, eight minutes, forty five seconds, a child's heart, the belly, bullock story. Purchase several copies, become a sponsor to book, purchase several copies with the journal. And what's the name of the journal? The journal is still hair still hair. I'm thinking of what's nearly nothing on my head. Still here, a companion for grief, healing and legacy. Purchase several copies together. And donate them to what actually I think schools would be a great place to donate them to organizations, even the library. 

Patrice Bullock 1:00:05
Moms. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:06
Yes. 

Yes. 

Patrice Bullock 1:00:09
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:09
Yes. Definitely moms. There's so many things you could donate these too. And even though it's already a best-seller, we want to keep it on the charge too. So all you businesses that are listening. And I bring this up a lot. I think it's important that 

reading is important. But also it was something like this when it's teaching somebody something. It helps. 

Patrice Bullock 1:00:33
Right. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:33
And that's why I think a lot of businesses should just you see them sponsoring all kinds of different things. Why not purchase books and donate them as well? The trees, is there anything you would like to add before you pick the last question? Now I got to do this differently. 

Patrice Bullock 1:00:52
Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate Sharon Bailey's story, sharing the 45 minute, sharing the 8 minute 45 second. A child's heart. And, you know, the grieving process. And it's your grief. It's your journey. Don't rush your grief. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:12
You know what? Usually I'll have I have a hundred different questions here. And I haven't broken down into five blocks. I'm not going to do it that way. I want to do it. It's something different. So I need to pick a number between one one hundred that you think Bailey would pick. 

Patrice Bullock 1:01:31
Sixteen. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:33
Why did I have a feeling? 

Patrice Bullock 1:01:36
Are you really on that page? 

Rich Bennett 1:01:38
Okay. Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 1:01:38
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:39
Yeah. And just to let you know, I don't know what these questions are. 

Patrice Bullock 1:01:42
Okay, 

Rich Bennett 1:01:42
on. 

Patrice Bullock 1:01:42
go 

Rich Bennett 1:01:42
A hundred random questions. They I mean, I know what some of them are now. 

Patrice Bullock 1:01:47
Right. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:47
But picked them. But sixteen, this is perfect. 

What does happiness feel like for you in its purest form? 

Patrice Bullock 1:02:02
Thank you for that question. Happiness to me is the ability to help others. The ability to save another mom, another child from experiencing eight minute 45 second. Happiness to me is the ability to have that intimate conversation with a mom who is grieving because I remember being there. And I remember people telling me, you're going to get through it. And I'm like, holy hell, how am I going to get through this? And so happiness is being able to walk with that person. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:39
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 1:02:39
And then just seeing them blossom. Not that they've forgotten about grief because you you cannot, you know, forget about your grief, 

Rich Bennett 1:02:49
Right. 

Patrice Bullock 1:02:49
but the ability to walk with them simultaneously. And I usually say, I have my life in my right hand and I have bailies in my left. And so I'm able to have that symbiotic relationship and walk with them simultaneously. Happiness to me, I can cry and I can laugh at the same time and still continue with the next mission, with 

Rich Bennett 1:03:16
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 1:03:16
the next journey. And so that's happiness being at peace with yourself. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:23
You wake up happy a lot, don't you? Especially when you see bailing in your dreams. 

Patrice Bullock 1:03:28
"I wake up happy." "I 

Rich Bennett 1:03:30
Yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 1:03:32
wake up happy." "I was happy 

before." 

Rich Bennett 1:03:37
"Yeah." 

Patrice Bullock 1:03:38
And my journey has only made me stronger. It takes time, though, 

Rich Bennett 1:03:43
It does. 

Patrice Bullock 1:03:44
so I never want for anyone to think that grief is easy, because it's not. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:49
No. 

Patrice Bullock 1:03:50
It's not. But when you do have other kids also, and you have to find that happiness, because you also have another set of young adultin' 

Rich Bennett 1:04:02
hmm, 

Patrice Bullock 1:04:03
Kids that's also relying on you, and so you need to find that balance, okay? And so you may just be finished crying, and then my daughter might be FaceTime in me, and she's FaceTime in me just to cry. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:16
yeah. 

Patrice Bullock 1:04:16
And so we're now crying because she's crying. And so happiness is a part of being able to embrace that journey, and you still come back out smiling. But it's a growth process. It's not going to happen overnight, and I said earlier, don't rush your grief. It is yours. And do not allow someone to define that grief for you. Because if you try to rush it, that's where all the mental health creeps in. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:42
Yes. Yes. Whoop. Patrice, I want to thank you so much. Don't wait in another five years. 

Patrice Bullock 1:04:49
I won't. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:50
Look did Thor is always open now. See, well, you got to come on the author, pitch, 

Patrice Bullock 1:04:55
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:55
and now you've challenged me so I got to do another mental health, live, not live broadcast, live recording, panel in front of people somewhere, and I'll make sure I figure that 

Patrice Bullock 1:05:10
no 

Rich Bennett 1:05:10
out. 

Patrice Bullock 1:05:11
worries 

Rich Bennett 1:05:11
thank

Patrice Bullock 1:05:11
you well thank you for having me

Rich Bennett 1:05:14
Some conversations stay with you long after the microphones are turned off. This conversation with Patrice is one of them. Here in her talk about Bailey, you could feel that mother's love in every story. A young man who loves sports, dreamed about Florida State, and once challenged his mother about not knowing how to swim. Those memories remind us that behind this mission is a son, a brother, and a life that mattered deeply. Through Bailey's Heart and Soul Foundation, Patrice is carrying that love forward with CPR and AED training, free heart screenings, and a commitment to helping communities prepare for cardiac emergencies. The title of her book, eight minutes 45 seconds carries a heartbreak and meaning. It also brings us back to the importance of being prepared when every second matters, but something else really stayed with me. Her reminder not to rush your grief. We all carry laws differently, even within the same family. Sometimes the best support we can offer is to listen, stay close, and give someone room to feel with their feeling. I love how Patrice described being able to cry and laugh while continuing to carry Bailey with her. There's room for love, sorrow, and happiness to exist together. I want to thank Patrice for trusting me with such a personal part of her life. If this conversation touched you, visit the links in the show notes to learn about the foundation, her book, and her companion journal still here. Consider a range in CPR training for your family or organization, supporting a heart screening, or helping provide an AED for community space, and share this episode with someone who can use its message. A special thank you to Hartford's Art Magazine for sponsoring this episode and helping us bring these meaningful conversations to you. Until next time, I'm Rich Bennett. Thanks for listening and remember, every great conversation starts with someone willing to listen and someone willing to share. Now it's your turn. Join the conversation by sharing this episode, leave in a comment, or reach in out to me directly. Take care. Be kind to one another and I'll talk with you again soon.