Patrick Henry Hughes (born March 10, 1988) is an American multi-instrumental musician from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

who was born without eyes and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs, making him unable to walk.

Biography

Patrick Henry Hughes was born March 10, 1988, to Patrick John and Patricia Hughes. Upon his delivery, the medical staff noticed physical anomalies. These were diagnosed as bilateral

anophthalmia Anophthalmia, (Greek: ἀνόφθαλμος, "without eye"), is the medical term for the absence of one or both eyes. Both the globe (human eye) and the ocular tissue are missing from the orbit. The absence of the eye will cause a small bony orbi ...

with pterygium syndrome and congenital bilateral

hip dysplasia Hip dysplasia is an abnormality of the hip joint where the socket portion does not fully cover the ball portion, resulting in an increased risk for joint dislocation. Hip dysplasia may occur at birth or develop in early life. Regardless, it doe ...

. His father, Patrick John Hughes, introduced him to the piano at the age of nine months. Patrick has studied piano in the years since and later began the study of trumpet. He has two younger brothers, Jesse and Cameron. Patrick Henry's national fame began in 2006 while a student at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one ...

. At the suggestion of Louisville's marching band director, Dr. Greg Byrne, Patrick Henry joined the Louisville Marching Band, playing trumpet while his father pushed him in his wheelchair through the marching routines. This visible commitment attracted increasing crowd and media attention throughout the fall football season, and the pair of Patricks were featured in a variety of television and newspaper coverage. Patrick Henry was subsequently invited to play piano and sing in musical performances throughout the country, including two performances at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a div ...

, and onstage performances with

Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the daughter of country music singer Mel Tillis and ex-wife of songwriter Bob DiPiero. Tillis recorded unsuccessful ...

Lonestar Lonestar (formerly known as Texassee) is an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Drew Womack (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Michael Britt (lead guitar, background vocals), Dean Sams (keyboards, acousti ...

Lane Brody Lynn Voorlas (born September 24, 1955), known professionally as Lane Brody, is an American country music singer-songwriter, active since the early 1980s, best known for her 1984 Billboard-topping country hit "The Yellow Rose" (a duet with coun ...

Chad Brock Chad Brock (born July 31, 1963) is an American country music singer and disc jockey. Before beginning his musical career in the late 1990s, he was a professional wrestler in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), until an injury forced him to retir ...

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill' ...

, and

Bryan White Bryan Shelton White (born February 17, 1974) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Asylum Records in 1994 at age 20, White released his self-titled debut album that year. Both it and its follow-up, 1996's '' Between Now ...

. Also in 2007 he played solo trumpet on stage in performance with the

Louisville Orchestra The Louisville Orchestra is the primary orchestra in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1937 by Robert Whitney (1904–1986) and Charles Farnsley, Mayor of Louisville. The Louisville Orchestra employs salaried musicians, and offers a wide ...

. Hughes graduated from Atherton High School, where he participated in the International Baccalaureate program and was a member of

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

. He has graduated from the

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

where he majored in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and played trumpet in the marching band. In November 2007, the members of the Hughes family were chosen to be the recipients of a complete home renovation for the show '' Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''. The episode aired on February 15, 2008. During late 2012, Patrick Henry and his family competed on ''

Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, th ...

'', remaining champions for four days before being defeated on their fifth and final day; the family was later brought back because of a technical error and given another chance to retire undefeated, but were again unsuccessful. His story was dramatized in the 2015 movie ''I Am Potential'', written and directed by Zach Meiners and starring Jimmy Bellinger as Patrick Henry, and

Burgess Jenkins Burgess Jenkins (born October 24, 1973) is an American actor. He is known for work in the film '' Remember the Titans'' opposite Academy Award winner Denzel Washington; and as Hilary Swank's husband David Winter in '' The Reaping'' (2007). ...

as his father.

Published works

*''I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams'' with Bryant Stamford (; Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2008)

Discography

*''Most Requested From Me to You'' (2006?) *''Look Within'' (2009)

Awards

*2001: Olympic torchbearer, December 17, 2001 *2001-2005: VSA Arts of Kentucky Young Soloist Award *2003, 2006: Breaking Barriers Spotlight Award *2005:

VSA arts VSA, is an international organization on arts, education and disability, which was founded in 1974 by former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, and is headquartered in Washington, DC. In 2011, VSA became the Department of VSA and A ...

Panasonic Young Soloist International winner *2006:

Disney Wide World of Sports Spirit Award Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award is presented annually to college football's most inspirational individual or team. The award is one of 21 that are part of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Previous winners Ref ...

References

External links