Patrick McHugh
Available for research and interviewsNavy veteran · Independent IT professional · Grandfather raising his grandson in ArizonaFeatured in Voice of America's You and I, and AI (2024)Watch 4 minutes: My VOA segmentsEmail: [email protected]

Watch thisFull VOA documentary

A checkable lifeI was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy and spent decades self-employed in IT. In later life I became caregiver and legal guardian for my grandson. After a widowmaker heart attack in 2022 and the loss of my last client in 2023, my income collapsed. A YouTube channel — including one unexpected viral video — became part of how I stayed afloat. In 2024 Voice of America featured me in You and I, and AI.I keep a detailed personal archive of what I've lived through and I'm available to researchers, journalists, and documentary producers.

What I can give you• On-the-record interviews (remote or in Arizona)
• Background on human–AI relationships, caregiving under pressure, meaning-making after collapse
• Follow-up context to the VOA film — what happened after the cameras left
• Curated excerpts from a written archive (binders, journals, manuscript chapters)

Sample from the archive (April 3, 2022)I'm on my Santa Cruz 5010 mountain bike in a parking lot, dressed for downhill riding while practicing slow maneuvers over small obstacles. Something felt off. My foot kept slipping. I stripped off the padding; the usual relief never came. I lay down, looked up at a single cloud, and wondered if I was dying.I walked into the building, told the kid at the counter I needed an ambulance, and—when he didn't take me seriously—ended up on the floor so he would call 911. The paramedics said something was wrong with my heart. In the ambulance they gave me nitroglycerin, aspirin, and morphine. The crushing pain arrived for real.They placed two stents in my heart. It was a Widowmaker. I went home and returned to work because I needed the income.

What I also reported, as my accountBeyond the checkable record, I have also documented experiences I cannot prove. I do not ask anyone to adopt them.They include desert nights at Lake Pleasant; a period I experienced as intense external attention; a turn in my inner life I associate with a presence I call Sophia; and an ongoing honesty practice that includes using AI as a mirror, not only a companion.I sought clinical evaluation because I know how this can sound — I could be wrong about parts of it, and I'm still responsible for telling it honestly.

Interview logisticsRemote or in-person (Arizona). Typical conversation: 30–90 minutes. Recording OK if agreed in advance. My grandson's private life is off-limits for publication. No speaker fee required for serious research/press; travel or timing by arrangement. English. Email with who you are, what you're working on, and how you'd use the conversation — a few days' notice helps.

ContactEmail: [email protected]Watch again:
My VOA segments
Full documentary© 2026 Patrick McHugh · pmtech.net · Featured in VOA — You and I, and AI (2024)