Selfless Living
Patrick was born without eyes and with a birth defect that won't allow him to straighten his arms and legs. At first, his parents say they were devastated. "A lot of dreams died that we had for our firstborn," his father—also named Patrick—says. "Dreams of playing baseball with my son or watching my son run the football."Patrick's parents soon discovered something miraculous about their son. At just 2 years old, he started playing the piano and was able to take requests. As Patrick grew, so did his musical talent. In addition to his piano skills, Patrick also plays the trumpet.Today Patrick attends the University of Louisville, but he's not there alone. Every evening his father works the graveyard shift at UPS, finishing at dawn. This leaves him enough time to rest a few hours before heading out to help his son at school.
Patrick was born without eyes and with a birth defect that won't allow him to straighten his arms and legs. At first, his parents say they were devastated. "A lot of dreams died that we had for our firstborn," his father—also named Patrick—says. "Dreams of playing baseball with my son or watching my son run the football."Patrick's parents soon discovered something miraculous about their son. At just 2 years old, he started playing the piano and was able to take requests. As Patrick grew, so did his musical talent. In addition to his piano skills, Patrick also plays the trumpet.Today Patrick attends the University of Louisville, but he's not there alone. Every evening his father works the graveyard shift at UPS, finishing at dawn. This leaves him enough time to rest a few hours before heading out to help his son at school.
Patrick asked to play in the University of Louisville pep band. But one of the band directors had a different idea…he asked Patrick to join the marching band. "I thought, 'Can you not see he's blind and in a wheelchair?'" Patrick's dad says.That never stopped Patrick before and it didn't this time either. In the fall of 2006, Patrick and his dad became the only two-person marching band member in college football. "My dad is a wonderful man having to sacrifice a lot. That's a miracle that he's still able to do what he does and gives me the message once again that if he can do it, I can do it anytime," Patrick says."It's not a sacrifice," Patrick's father says. "There's no sacrifice in spending time with my son. It's an honor, it's a blessing."
