About The Book

Call Me Rick: Grace in the Middle by Patrick Kelly is more than a memoir-it's a lifeline for the unheard, the unseen, and the uncertain.

Blending raw vulnerability with bold faith, Kelly offers a deeply personal yet universally resonant story that invites readers into a journey of identity, healing, and belonging. Written especially for those recovering from toxic faith, navigating life as a Deaf or disabled person, or simply feeling lost or unworthy, this book is a sacred reminder: you are not broken, and grace doesn't require perfection-it meets you where you are. Through stories of pain, resilience, and radical love, Kelly transforms silence into strength and struggle into sanctuary.

If you are an educator or a parent of a Deaf or disabled child, this book brings you into our world. Not to pity it, but to understand it. To see your advocacy is not an extra, but essential. To know how powerful your presence can be when your student or your child feels invisible. You don’t have to have all the answers. Just don’t stop showing up.

If you are someone carrying pain so deep it feels like it will swallow you whole, someone broken and tired and unsure of where to go next, this book is a hand on your shoulder. A whisper that says, “You still matter.” Your wounds are not your disqualification. They are the very places where grace is ready to bloom. You don’t need to be perfect to be worthy. You don’t need to be strong to be loved.

This is not a neat tale of triumph, but a testament that even our deepest wounds can become holy ground.