Everyone has a story. As an agent, I take the time to understand my clients’ stories in order to help them find their perfect home. So, it’s only fair that I share mine with you too.

It’s been so long that it almost feels like it was someone else’s life. But it wasn’t. It was mine and those events shaped who I would become. My wife can tell you that my memory isn’t the best, but some of the memories are still vivid and seared into my brain.

I was curled up on the couch and it had been two months since I had been to school. My mom had taken me to doctor after doctor trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I was nine years old and the pain in my stomach wouldn’t subside. All the things I loved - hanging out with friends, going to school (yes, I was a straight-A nerd), and competing in gymnastics were now impossible.

Finally a doctor had diagnosed me with Crohn’s disease - a chronic digestive disease without a known cause or cure. I remember the relief of putting a name to this mysterious illness — and the terror in my mom’s eyes when hearing that it would be an issue we would be dealing with for life.

The next year consisted of many more appointments, tests, and trials of tons of different medications. At one point I was taking 17 pills per day.

That summer, I had the chance to attend a camp for kids with IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease). Telling stories around the campfire my second night, it suddenly dawned on me just how isolated I’d been during the previous months. I finally had people I could listen to and share stories with that understood what I was going through.

It’s hard to describe the kind of impact that camp had on my life. For the first time in a year, I felt like a kid again.

Camp also helped me realize that I was actually one of the fortunate ones. After several years of attending the camp I started a new medication that put me into remission. But while I was joining in on Capture the Flag and dance-offs, some of my friends still struggled to sit at the fire pit for more than a few minutes. When they spoke about their pain, I wished so badly for a miracle
cure, like the one I had found. But eventually I discovered the most helpful thing I could do was listen. When I was in my teens, I became a camp counselor. I did my best to advocate for the kids, to distract them from their pain, and to just let them be kids. But, again, mostly I just listened.

It was at camp that I realized the importance of understanding other perspectives and to never judge anyone. To try to listen deeply to people to understand them better, what their dreams are, and what they need. I continue to do this today in the form of a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for children in the foster system in San Diego.
As cheesy and played out as the phrase carpe diem, YOLO, or however you want to say to live to the fullest each day… I am a true believer in that. I know how important a home is to people and the feeling and memories created in one. I want to help people achieve that dream and can use my years of listening and advocating to help someone achieve that goal of buying, selling, or exchanging a home. Tell me your story and let me help you find your voice and perfect home.

With gratitude,

Patrick Cohen
REALTOR®