Sayreville Mayor Kennedy O'Brien, and his terminally ill son, got to meet President Trump for St. Patrick's Day.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Sayreville Mayor Kennedy O'Brien got an invitation to meet President Donald Trump at the White House St. Patrick's Day dinner, he knew he had to find a way to bring his terminally ill son.
O'Brien said a medical team moved "heaven and earth" to get his son to Thursday evening's event.
Patrick Sean O'Brien, 42, is a filmmaker from Massachusetts who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and he traveled with medical staff from the Leonard Florence Center for Living, in Chelsea, Mass. to the event.
Both the medical staff and the White House couldn't have been more accommodating, Mayor O'Brien said.
O'Brien and his son got to shake Trump's hand at the dinner, where the Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny was also in attendance.
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"I'm so grateful for the White House and the president and particularly the staff at the Leonard Florence Center," O'Brien said Thursday. "They really do give him a wonderful life. It's fantastic."
The invite to the Republican mayor came from the White House's political director, Bill Stepien, a former top aide to Gov. Christie.
Patrick Sean O'Brien is the creator of a documentary, "TransFatty Lives," which depicts his battle with ALS.
"I'm just a proud father and a grateful father," Kennedy O'Brien said.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.