Ben Petrick Biography

Born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon, Ben Patrick played in three sports at Glencoe High School. During his senior football season, Ben pushed the Crimson Tide to a state championship during his senior football season and was chosen as Oregon's Offensive Player of the Year as well as all-state on defense. In the second round of the 1995 amateur draft, Ben was taken by the Colorado Rockies after a baseball season in which he hit .524 with 11 HR, 45 RBI and 22 stolen bases. From 1997 to 1999, Ben was rated as one of the top 100 prospects in baseball. He started as catcher in the first All-Star Futures Game at Fenway Park in 1999, playing alongside team members Pat Burrell, Mark Mulder, Alfonso Soriano and Lance Berkman. Ben was summoned to the Major Leagues, lacing an RBI double in his first bat in September of that year. In just 19 games, he finished the season hitting .323 with 4 HR and 12 RBI. In Fall of 199, Ben noticed his first symptoms of Parkinson's disease and was diagnosed in May 2000 with Parkinsonism. Ben was able to play four more big-league seasons for the Detroit Tigers and Rockies, while he kept his diagnosis confidential. In 2000, he witnessed more on-field wins hitting .322 with 3 HR and 20 RBI in 52 games; however, in 2001, his performance started to drop and he in mid-2003 was traded to Detroit. It was in 2004 when Ben retired that he disclosed publicly that he had Parkinson's disease. The same disease which his father was diagnosed with and had been managing since 1999. Ben came home to Hillsboro and married Kellie Starkey his longtime girlfriend, and moved to the same street where his brother and parents lived. While Kellie taught third grade, he in time became primary caregiver to his daughter, Makena. In December 2009, Ben’s Parkinson's symptoms got worse and had to undergo an antibacterial and risky procedure known as Deep Brain Stimulation. The infection that developed as a result of the surgery, nearly killed him. A year later, Ben bravely underwent the surgery a second time and this time it was successful as his Parkinson's symptoms were reduced to a great degree. Ben is active in baseball and coaches at Glencoe High and provides private tutoring. He is a supporter for Parkinson's research and tours the country to speak at several events that benefit the cause. Ben is a renowned author who published a collection of stories about his journey called 40,000 to One. He is also the creator of Faith In The Game which is a blog containing written enteries by popular athletes of faith. Ben lives with his wife and two daughters in Hillsboro, Ore.

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