By: Garret Lee Frey

and 

Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot

A few times in a lifetime, we come upon a person or a story that impacts us so deeply our entire field of awareness is altered. It may open our eyes to a whole new world we’d never considered before, compel us to study a new philosophy, or possibly give us a new hero to place above all previous heroes. A time such as this came to me when Garret Lee Frey entered my life in a most unexpected way. I met him between the covers of As I Am, a most touching book and his first effort at sharing his story and his incredible life.

          At the time I met Garret, he was a “nearly five year old boy.” A child filled with wonderment, Garret reveled in all his god-given senses and was driven to explore the “the world around him.” He loved the April breeze on his cheeks, the nature presented to him by the row of evergreens that filled his back yard with the sweet aroma of pine.

Garret had no premonition of the approaching moment in time in which life, as he knew and understood it, would come to an end . . . “I do not remember the day I was born and I do not remember the day that I died. I only remember my life ‘As I Am.’”

It was April 24, 1987. Garret jumped for joy into his father’s arms when he showed up at the babysitter’s home to pick him up. In the driveway, sat his father’s shiny motorcycle. His dad had previously taken him and his older brother for short rides in the neighborhood, always paying careful heed to the helmet laws and rules for cycle safety, but this would be the longest ride Garret had ever taken before. A full mile from the babysitter’s home to his own with a promised stop for bubble gum on the way. Seated safely, helmet in place, Garret was ready for the ride of his life. But, the mysteries of fate were at hand.

Garret had forgotten his trusty yellow scarf, his favorite security blanket, that special thing in the life of a four year old. Understanding, his father went back to retrieve the scarf and tied it securely around Garret’s neck, tucking the tied ends inside his jacket. An extra measure of warmth on a breezy April day. Soon, Garret was reveling in the wind on his face, planning his out-of-doors play on the arrival home, and anticipating the sweet, spicy taste of his favorite bubble gum. As his curious mind was taken in by the joys of life around him, he vowed to live each day to its fullest. Then, fate entered in. Garret was about to experience a course change he could never have imagined.

In that miniscule flash of time, the beginnings of Garret’s story were written. The destiny of his life’s journey would also become the journey of those closest to him, dedicated parents, family, and one most special friend. Over the years, many other lives walked parts of this journey with Garret. Precedents were set, and barriers broken down that will affect generations to come, especially in education. Now, through a magnificent effort on the part of Garret and that one special friend, Dr. Karen Pirnot, we all have been invited to walk a while by his side.

For me, an attempt to guide the reader’s perceptions with a typical written review critiquing my own journey with Garret and Dr. Pirnot would fall far short. It would sadly lack the power which lies between the pages of As I Am. Only Garret can tell his story.

Yet, after my own walk with Garret and Dr. Pirnot, I can offer this insight . . . Anyone who loves beauty, the power and glory of Nature working with the power of mind and Spirit, will be moved. Anyone who admires courage, determination, and the perseverance of the wind itself, will be touched. Anyone who has wandered on the edge of peril and despair will be given hope. Anyone who has already fallen over the cliff will be lifted up. Anyone who lacks a real hero in their life will find one in Garret Lee Frey.    

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