Patrick (Pat) Byrne completed this year’s Naperville Noon Lions Club Turkey Trot in 51 minutes 28 seconds. This may seem like a very slow time, but Pat Byrne is completely blind and has been since birth. Pat mostly walks the course and was guided this year by Lion Dr. Bill Bleecker.
Pat has been working out twice a week in order to prepare for the event. His daughter, Joanna, along with Pat’s guide dog, Jenna, also ran/walked the race. He was excited to participate again this year as it will be the second time he has entered. It comes at a good time, he said, as it allows me to get out early on Thanksgiving morning.
Pat has participated in approximately 10 different 5K events in the area but the NNLC Turkey Trot is the largest he has entered. Some times the big crowd makes it difficult for him to navigate, but with the guidance of Lion Bleecker, everything went very smoothly this year, he said. He thinks the NNLC Turkey Trot is the best organized event he has entered and with the large crowds, it generates a lot of excitement and he will be looking forward to it each year.
Pat who is 72 years old, was born in Chicago attended Leo High School in Chicago and holds a degree in Business Administration from Elmhurst College.
He is married and has four children. His wife, Ann, is also blind and is an instructor at Donka, Inc. in Wheaton. Pat is currently the Independent Living Coordinator at DuPage Center for Independent Living (DCIL) in Glen Ellyn where he works with other low vision individuals. The NNLC has supported DCIL for many years with financial donations. Previous to joining DCIL in 2005, Pat owned coffee shops at the train stations in Glen Ellyn and Wheaton. He has also done computer programming for several major corporations.
Thank you, Pat, for participating in this year’s event and supporting us. Also thank you, Lion Bleecker, for guiding Pat safely around the course.
For more information about the Naperville Noon Lions Club and its mission to help the vision and hearing impaired, visit www.napervillenoonlions.org.
