A Day In "The Life Of Riley"

WELCOME to "The Life of Riley" which will include periodic chronicles of pop culture and possibilities that flow out of Patrick L. Riley's day. That's me!!! Through blogging (and soon some other technological features on which I'll keep you posted as they launch), I will pull experiences from my busy life to entertain and inspire all of you. Through this site, I will share my observations and insights.

Some features to look forward to:

1.) "PATRICK'S POP UP(DATES)" will feature stories from pop culture, music, theater, fashion, and the entertainment industry at large.

2.) "The Life of Riley" will also introduce a "take-a-look-at-your-life" section (READ: sort of an advice column), where I will help readers come up with their own questions and answers around what "ways of being" are working (or not working) to have them acheive their respective goals and live their best lives. This section is called "WHO YOU BE?".

3.) Additonally, there will be a free-flowing, organic section called "TESTIFY" from which I will pull from my own life's journey to share and hopefully inspire. Some of the fare may be new musings and experiences. Other times, I may pull from my journals and past sharings to shed light on some uncomfortable truths that I've experienced and that may perhaps play a role in healing someone else's wounds as the real-life experience did for me. From my experience of covering 9/11 as a freelance journalist to courageously coming out (as gay) to my family, "TESTIFY" promises to move those who choose to read it.

4.) And a section titled "PR" (like my initials, but also like "public relations") will include press clips from any coverage I get.

5.) And anytime pictures or video can support an entry (in the blog, and perhaps in the subsequent podcasts, my space, and website), those visuals will keep things aesthetically enrolling. That section will be called "MY TUBE".

PLAYING TO THE POP IN POSSIBILITIES!

Patrick L. Riley

Entries in Strokes (1)

American Heart Association presents “YOU ARE THE POWER” BENEFIT CONCERT with Chrisette Michele (Friday, May 6 at 8pm/The Apollo Theater)

Hi folks,

The American Heart Association is presenting “YOU ARE THE POWER” BENEFIT CONCERT – featuring Chrisette Michele – on Friday, May 6 at 8:00 p.m. The Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY is the venue.

I have been hired to be the roving reporter on the star-studded red carpet on that evening.

Also performing on the bill: Brian Courtney Wilson; and Trin-i-tee 5:7. Plus, special appearances by Mathew Knowles; Tamron Hall; Malinda Williams; Ruben Santiago Hudson; Tamara Tunie; Jacque Reid; and FELA!s Kevin Mambo. The honorary chair for the event is Cissy Houston.

The concert celebrates the American Heart Association’s “Power to End Stroke” campaign and its many worthy ambassadors. For information about the “Power to End Stroke” campaign, visit www.powertoendstroke.org.

Additionally, my blog “A Day in the Life of Riley: pop culture & possibilities” has been commissioned to send out FOUR dedicated E-BLASTs this month in preparation and promotion of the big benefit concert. And in this inaugural entry, I will share my own special testimonial around STROKE awareness. Please read on.

As always, THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Best,

Patrick L. Riley

“A Day in the Life of Riley: pop culture & possibilities”

http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/

POWER TO END STROKE: A TESTIMONIAL

My parents are natives of Savannah, GA - headquarters for our extended family. By 8 years of age, I became a Savannahian myself, after our nuclear family of five put a wrap on international travel vis-a-vis the United States Air Force - including my birthplace of Tokyo, Japan. In fact, with a world between us AND the rest of our clan, my parents stamped a few things into my mobile and remote world to ensure our family bonds weren't lost on me. My middle name is Leroy - named for my mom's father, a preacher man. Beyond the Gerber jars, my mom prepared our meals - no matter the shore - as if "Gran Gran", mom's mom, had herself prepared them. And that maternal synergy included my favorite recipe of homemade butter biscuits a la sopped in sautéed salmon with onions & peppers; buttered grits; and brown gravy with a side of thick-cut fat back. Then, from my paternal grandfather, I got a signature-hook head that is as much "Pa Pa" as our last name is Riley. Additionally, these vibrant elder characters in the cast of my un-filmed reality show called 'my life' passed on something else to me: a genetic disposition to stroke.

I watched "strokes" do a 1-2-3 punch on three near-and-dear pillars in my family. At 65 years of age, my grandmother Saphronia Haynes Bellinger had a stroke in 1974. 72 hours later, she was dead. In 1978, stroke threw a near-fatal blow to her husband Leroy. He survived the stroke for four years --- suffering through an uphill battle of rehabilitation therapy that would eventually have him speaking again (but slowly) and walking again (with assistance). But a second stroke in 1982 would take my middle-namesake down for good. And in the early ‘90s, “Papa” – my Dad’s dad – suffered a stroke and soon thereafter, he passed away.

As evidenced by my own family history, stroke hits close to home – especially in the African American community. Studies show that African Americans are at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease, including stroke, than any other ethnic group. And that’s why the American Heart Association created the “Power to End Stroke” Awards. These folks are leading a new charge to get the word out to the community about stroke awareness, stroke survival, and stroke prevention. And they are encouraging ALL OF US to learn what we can do to stop the cycle.

I checked in with my Auntee Mary Lee (the older sister and only sibling of my mom Queen Elizabeth Riley, who passed away in 1994 to congestive heart failure). At 74, Mary Lee is still alive, alert, and kicking. But she points out to me that she is not here to tell the story without the aid of high-blood pressure medicine and a strict diet regimen. Mary Lee’s two kids – my first cousins; and my two siblings – are in their mid-40s-to-early-50s. Though vibrant and generally healthy, they too are inside pre-emptive efforts to avoid our genetic leaning for stroke by maintaining good blood pressure levels via certain prescriptions; diet awareness; and an exercise plan. Many of the Rileys – including my father – are managing another predictor of stroke crisis: diabetes.

As for me, I maintain a 29-inch waist that I’ve had since high school and a very active lifestyle. One might think I have little about which to be concerned. That said, I’m not fooling myself into thinking that – at 40 years of age and with the medical family history that I have – that I don’t have to begin my own mission for optimum health – including working out and eating healthier. In fact, on this morning, as tempting and easy as it would be for me to snag a high-calorie breakfast that echoes that best of what Gran Gran used to make, I will substitute turkey bacon for fat back; and wheat toast w/veggie spread in lieu of hot, uber-buttered biscuits.

And the morale of the story for me that I share with my extended family – my clan with whom I share a blood line… and the many sisters and brothers from other mothers – is we all have the POWER to make choices that can support us all to reverse the effects of - and the crisis that is - STROKE. As we stand on the strong shoulders of our forefathers and foremothers who perhaps didn’t know better, the American Heart Association’s “Power to End Stroke” campaign armors us all to know better and, subsequently, to do better. And be better.

SEE BELOW… FOR MORE TICKET INFORMATION on “YOU ARE THE POWER” BENEFIT CONCERT (featuring Chrisette Michele – on Friday, May 6 at 8:00 p.m. - at The Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY):

1. By phone call Ticketmaster 1-800-745-3000

2. Online at www.Ticketmaster.com

3. Ticketmaster Outlet (search for Chrisette Michele)

www.ticketmaster.com/event/00004651D154A2C1

4. http://powertoendstroke.org/power-awards-2011.html