SEBASTIAN — It’s impossible to have a bad day, remain in a dark mood or feel self pity around Patricia Moody. Born with Down syndrome, the flaming-red-haired inspiration is making the most of her God-given life, and at the end of it, will have no potential left. She will have used it all up.
On Nov. 18, she’ll take to the stage to belt out Broadway hits, she and her veteran troupe of backup singers and guest performers putting on a show that promises to be life-changing as well as entertaining.
“I sing every day, all day, all night,” Patricia said, her level of enthusiasm an 11 on a scale of one to 10. “Singing has helped me learn to communicate with others, and it is a way for others who face developmental challenges to learn the importance of communicating and connecting with others as well.”
She hopes – no, plans – to start a school to teach youngsters with autism to connect with the outside world using music and many other creative therapeutic techniques to have them leave no potential behind either.
Her ability to work with children is unparalleled.
For Patricia, music is a race. Common to people with Down syndrome, she has a variety of daily challenges.
One of those difficulties is hearing, which is diminishing faster than state-of-the-art cochlear implants and assistive devices can improve.
Sooner or later, the only songs she will hear, even those sung by her own voice, will be broadcast from her memory.
“I can already hear the music with my feet, feeling the beat and the vibrations,” Patricia said. “I want to perform, practice and learn all I can about singing so if my hearing goes, I still have music in me. Learning to sing has helped me find my inner voice, to project who I am to the outside world, and I will never forget that.”
Patricia’s start was anything but the positive culture that now surrounds her.
“The doctor informed me, sitting alone on the examination table, that she would have problems from her head to the soles of her feet and then listed most of them, including hearing and vision problems, low motor skills and muscle tone, adding she probably would never be able to read and wouldn’t ever be able to follow directions,” said Nancy Moody, Patricia’s mom. “And then he pulled the curtain around me and left me sitting there, alone, without even waiting until my husband could be with me for support. I’m sad to say that’s pretty much the way it’s still done today.”
Nancy’s cousin visited her in the hospital, and read her Psalm 139 from the Bible. It changed her perspective on her circumstances: God knew each of us even while we were being created in the womb, and there was a purpose for each and every one of us.
There was a reason Patricia was created.
She and her husband, Mike Moody, nearly immediately declared the doctor’s life sentence for Patricia as nonsense.
“He said there was nothing he could do for us. That was the only thing we agreed with him on,” said Mike Moody, Patricia’s biggest cheerleader for everything she sets her hand to, earning her the nickname Daddy’s Girl.
The Moodys went about learning everything they could about ways to intervene as early as possible to bring Patricia’s skills and abilities to par and beyond, forging gaps in her weaknesses and building on her strengths.
They enrolled her in early intervention programs, which provided hearing, vision, speech, and occupational and physical therapies.
Patricia ultimately entered regular classrooms with typically-developing students.
“I always believed it was important to incorporate her in real life, because in real life there is not an alternate place for her to exist,” Nancy Moody said.
They moved from Tampa, there support services were ample, to Vero Beach when Patricia was 7. They were momentarily sidelined at the lack of help available.
So they decided to offer it themselves.
They started a parent group to share all they knew and gain more knowledge from others. The most helpful factor for all the parents was a feeling they were no longer alone and they did not have to reinvent the wheel.
Patricia went on to graduate from Sebastian River High School, where she paved the way for others as the first fully mainstreamed student with Down syndrome.
She now teaches American Sign Language at both Sebastian River and Vero Beach high schools.
She travels all over the country performing and speaking publicly, earning her the title of Happy Advocate on her trips to Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. She lobbies for funding for intervention as cost-effective because it turns disabilities into abilities.
Her favorite performer, mentor and personal friend is Dolly Parton, Patricia grasping the microphone with her long red fingernails, à la Dolly.
A sign of the times, the Moodys recently launched the PEER Group – Parents Educating and Exchanging Resources – that targets all family members, including grandparents, who are increasingly stepping in to raise their children’s children with disabilities.
A vital part of Patricia’s showbiz adventure has been her vocal teacher for the past years, Tania Ortega-Cowan, a singer who often performs with the Vero Beach Opera.
She, Nancy Moody, and Patricia’s sister, O’Hara Moody McKenna, make up the Live-ettes, backup singers to the Patricia Live II show, with special guests that include Mike Moody.
The show will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 at First Church of God, 1105 58th Ave. in Vero Beach.
“I’ve really seen her bloom. It’s a joy to have worked with her at least once a week all this time, and more with rehearsals for this, her second show,” Ortega-Cowan said.
The show will raise money for SunUp ARC, which offers services for developmentally disabled individuals. Patricia serves on its Advocacy Committee to improve the lives of those ARC serves.
As the curtain threatens to close on her five senses, Patricia’s ability to inspire others rises. This is because the focus will always be on her abilities, and not on her disabilities. This is the message she carries to all she touches.
“One of the reasons I love being around Patricia is she reminds me of how very blessed I am,” Ortega-Cowan said. “I know that if she can do whatever she sets her mind to despite her challenges, then certainly so can I.”
