HANOVER COUNTY, Va. — A father's journey of grief has transformed into a worldwide movement inspiring others to live adventurously after his son's death.
Patrick Morin describes his late son Henry as someone with remarkable ambition and empathy.
Henry, a senior at Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, was determined to make his mark as the middle child.
"From a very young age [Henry] was one of those remarkable individuals," Patrick said.
The 6'4" lacrosse player had already earned his pilot's license, scuba certification and Eagle Scout badge before graduating high school.
He planned to attend the University of Colorado to study Aeronautics.
"If you wanted to learn something, he would learn it deeply. And he would learn it meaningfully," Patrick said.
Despite his impressive achievements, Henry remained grounded in compassion.
"What really stood out, was that when he saw somebody that was in trouble, he never he never had to be asked to help help he just did," Patrick said.
On June 4, 2019, Patrick received the call every parent dreads.
Henry, 18, had drowned while swimming in a quarry with friends.
His body was recovered two days later, just before his high school graduation.
"There is no script for this," Patrick said.
Weeks after the tragedy, Patrick found a unique way to honor his son's adventurous spirit. Henry's younger brother William, while traveling overseas, began leaving specially designed memorial coins at landmarks across Europe.
"But at that moment I felt like William is there, Henry is there I'm there. It was a wonderful moment of bonding," Patrick said.
This sparked the "Live Like Henry" campaign.
Soon family, friends and even strangers were requesting coins to carry to destinations worldwide.
"I started getting videos in from all over the world," Patrick said.
The memorial coins have traveled from Ireland and India to Mexico and Mount Everest, with people sharing videos of their journeys.
"Since then, all of these stories are coming in about how people are living courageously, living, kindly, living adventurously," Patrick said.
Patrick now receives videos at least weekly from distant time zones, each one bringing comfort rather than sadness.
"Every time I received another one of these videos instead of it being a sad moment, it's a celebratory moment. Because I'm thinking to myself Henry is in this country. Henry saw this thing. Henry saw this place," Patrick said.
Hundreds of travelers have shared their experiences exploring with Henry's memorial coin in hand.
"In a way his death has brought life. His death is creating life events for people," Patrick said.
For Patrick, each message helps heal his grief, knowing his son's spirit continues to travel the world.
"What I realized is that every time one of these coins these videos came back to me, Henry was alive again. Henry is there. Henry is a part of this adventure," Patrick said.
Though Henry will forever remain 18, his father finds peace knowing his son's legacy inspires others to live fully.
"But it is about how you're living your life in terms of creating those memories for yourself and knowing that somebody is traveling along with you," Patrick said. "Henry is traveling along with you. I think that he would be proud that other people are living their best lives."
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