Patrick Henry Hughes and his father, Patrick John, just returned from Taiwan promoting a new book. The two have been all over the world performing and telling a story.

And what a story it is.

Patrick Henry Hughes, a senior at the University of Louisville, was born without eyes and without the ability to straighten his arms and legs which prevents him from walking. But his limitations have never kept him from inspiring others.

Patrick Henry has excelled in both the classroom and as a musician. With the help of his dad, he performs with the University of Louisville marching band where he plays the trumpet. He also sings and plays the piano, and along the way he has recorded CDs and written a book titled “I Am Potential.”

Saturday morning he performed for the estimated 200 people who gathered at the 41st annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast held in the New Albany High School cafeteria.

While his dad shared a few stories, Patrick Henry entertained the crowd with four songs including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “American” where he put on a pair of sunglasses to emulate one of his heroes, Ray Charles, who made the song popular. “I was truly humbled and uplifted 1,000 times over,” said Steve Sipes, who was the emcee of the event, following Patrick Henry’s presentation. “As an educator I always said if I learn something in a day, then it’s a productive day. Patrick, you have made this an extraordinary productive day.”

Patrick Henry and his father have been on numerous television programs including “Oprah” and “The Ellen Show.” Two years ago he was featured with his family on ABC’s “Extreme Make Over Home Edition.”

But he said his joy comes from performing live and meeting people.

“It’s an honor for me to come out and share my son with my neighbors in Southern Indiana,” his father, Patrick John, said. “We have been to a lot of places around the world. It’s great to be at a place where you can use mayor and prayer in the same sentence.”

Patrick Henry opened his performance with one of his favorite songs, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” He closed with a Brooks and Dunn favorite “Believe.”

He began playing the piano at 9 months old. But his first introduction to music was at 4 1/2 months old. His father, a musician, didn’t know what to do to calm his young son down one day so he laid him on top of a piano and started to play. The crying stopped.

“You can never give up on a dream,” his father told the audience. “I had a dream that my son would be on the football field for a major university one day. Through music [playing in the band] he has accomplished that dream.”

While Patrick Henry is nearly a straight ‘A’ student, he said he does believe in straight F’s — which are “Faith, Family, Friends and Freedom.”

“Those are wonderful F’s to have,” he said.

When he was asked in the past about his disabilities, he said he didn’t have disabilities, only abilities.

“Some people judge others by their skin color, or what they are wearing. I only see that within a person,” Patrick Henry said.

When Patrick Henry was born, like most young dads, his father asked “why us” knowing that his son was blind and physically disabled. But then he said “why not us.”

“Patrick has taught me so many lessons,” his father said. “I began to appreciate what I have in life, not what I don’t have. He has never shied away from challenges.”

Patrick Henry had a full weekend planned. After speaking at the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, he and his father had to go march with the U of L band prior to its game against Syracuse. Today, he was scheduled to speak at Eastside Christian in Jeffersonville.

His first event of the weekend was an obvious success.

“I’ve had so many people come up to me and say this was the best one, and that is no slight on the other speakers we have had,” New Albany Mayor Doug England said after the event. “Look at him ... he is such an inspiration.”



SO YOU KNOW

• The Mayor’s Community Prayer Breakfast was started by Mayor Garnett Inman in 1969 and continued on by his six successors.