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Patricia Matsuda

Patricia “Pattie” Alison Matsuda was a mixed-race Japanese American and White woman from Pasadena, California. She was the third of Greg and Ellen Matsuda’s four children and had ADHD. At fifteen, Pattie became pregnant with Lila Hayes; she gave birth six days before her sixteenth birthday and later married Lila’s father, Evan Hayes.

Early Life and Family

Pattie was born on November 3, 1982. During Cody’s spring 1995 crisis, she was twelve, following seventeen-year-old Susie and sixteen-year-old Cody and preceding seven-year-old Joey.

Pattie was a tomboy who sought physically demanding activity. She climbed trees, jumped from windows, and attempted stunts that made even her classmates warn her to stop. She had a fast temper and became physically aggressive when provoked. In seventh grade, she punched another girl who called her ugly.

Pattie was diagnosed with ADHD during childhood. Her presentation was sufficiently visible that it was recognized despite the barriers girls faced in receiving ADHD diagnoses during the early 1990s.

After Cody’s 1995 medical crisis affected his speech, the Matsuda family learned ASL as part of communicating with him. Pattie eventually used both English and ASL.

Education

Pattie’s impulsivity, temper, and physical confrontations caused repeated difficulty in a traditional school setting. Her family pursued accommodations for her ADHD.

Main article: Cody Matsuda CHSPE Proposal (Fall 1998) - Event

During Pattie’s pregnancy in 1998, Cody proposed that she leave traditional school and prepare for the California High School Proficiency Examination.

Personality

Pattie was physically fearless, direct, energetic, and intensely protective of people she loved. Her protectiveness was especially visible in her relationship with Cody. She reacted quickly to insults and perceived threats, sometimes with violence, and had difficulty stopping once anger and impulse had combined.

Cultural Identity

Pattie was Japanese American through Greg and White through Ellen. She grew up in the mixed Japanese American and White Matsuda household in Pasadena.

Health and Disabilities

Main article: ADHD Reference

Pattie’s adolescent ADHD presentation included high activity, impulsive risk-taking, difficulty regulating anger, trouble sustaining attention for reading, and executive-function challenges. These traits affected school, conflict, and daily planning without singularly explaining every decision she made.

During pregnancy, Pattie’s clinicians discontinued her stimulant medication. Her family and Evan provided additional reminders and practical structure.

Teenage Pregnancy and Motherhood

Main article: Patricia Matsuda (Neurodivergent Teen Motherhood Journey)

Main article: Lila Hayes Birth and NICU Stay (October 1998) - Event

Pattie experienced an unplanned pregnancy with Evan when she was fifteen and he was sixteen. Her pregnancy developed high blood pressure, severe preeclampsia, and pulmonary edema and ended in an emergency premature cesarean delivery under general anesthesia.

Lila Marie Hayes was born on October 28, 1998, at thirty-one weeks’ gestation and remained in the neonatal intensive care unit. Pattie was still fifteen at delivery and turned sixteen on November 3.

Pattie’s parents, siblings, Evan, and members of Evan’s family provided practical support during the pregnancy, hospitalization, and early co-parenting period. Lila’s middle name, Marie, honored Susie.

Family and Core Relationships

Greg and Ellen Matsuda

Greg and Ellen raised Pattie with Susie, Cody, and Joey in Pasadena. They advocated for her education and provided practical support during her pregnancy and Lila’s hospitalization.

Susie, Cody, and Joey Matsuda

Susie and Cody were Pattie’s older siblings, while Joey was her younger brother. Pattie was particularly protective of Cody. During her pregnancy, Cody’s CHSPE proposal offered a possible route away from a school environment in which Pattie was repeatedly disciplined.

Lila Hayes

Main article: Patricia Matsuda and Lila Hayes

Lila was Pattie and Evan’s daughter. Her premature birth required an extended NICU stay and shifted Pattie and Evan from frightened teenagers into active co-parents.

Romantic and Significant Relationships

Evan Hayes

Main article: Patricia Matsuda and Evan Hayes

Pattie and Evan were childhood friends before the pregnancy. They decided to raise Lila and worked together as co-parents. Their relationship later became romantic, and they eventually married.

Memorable Quotes

During late pregnancy, after Evan brought her water with ice, Pattie snapped:

“Why is there ICE in it?! I didn’t ASK for ice!”

Two minutes after telling Evan to leave during another overwhelmed moment, she cried:

“Don’t actually leave, I didn’t mean it.”

Three weeks after Lila’s birth, Pattie broke down during a night of colic and told Evan:

“You must be so disappointed… look at me… I’m a mess. I’m a disaster. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

When Evan confessed that he loved her, Pattie answered with what she could name:

“I feel safe with you. I trust you. You’re the person I want next to me.”

Characters Supporting Characters Living Characters Mixed Race Characters Mixed Heritage Characters Japanese-American Characters White Characters Disabled Characters Neurodivergent Characters ASL Users Matsuda Family