CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — “My son, I unfortunately lost him freshman year in college, which is a little over four years ago,” said Drew’s mom, Jamie Fitzpatrick. “He was in just a very unusual skateboarding accident, and he fought for about 12 days in Des Moines at Mercy One. But unfortunately, we had to let him go.”
Drew was going to school at Iowa State as an engineering major. In 2021, he and his friends were in a parking garage, and one had an issue with an electric skateboard. They asked him to get on it, and someone walked out between two cars, startling him. When he fell, he hit his head and that accident cost him his life.
Fitzpatrick, who lives in Cedar Rapids, spoke recently at the Iowa Donor Network’s Candlelight Tribute in Ames. She shared how her son’s death gave life to others. She said Drew was smart and loved to teach.
“He had a real knack for thinking through, different ways to approach, to hopefully help someone understand it,” she said. “He got a perfect score in math and science on his ACT, and he didn’t study. He got an overall 35 because he didn’t do as well in English.”…