Patrick will graduate on June 16 from Willow Glen High School. But on June 9, his high school peers told Patrick he's given them as much inspiration as they've given him, by creating a scholarship foundation in his honor.

This year the money will help Patrick go to San José State University. "I start in fall. August 25, it's a Wednesday," he said, voice barely able to keep up with his enthusiasm. "When I was younger, I thought I would have a hard time going to college."

Both of Patrick's parents graduated from SJSU.

He's says he is thinking about majoring in United States history. "No specific time period. I'm fascinated by famous Supreme Court cases, in particular Roe vs. Wade. I wish the ruling had been different," he said. "One thing I've always been interested in is this—who was Wade? I hope to find out someday."

Patrick has lived with his grandmother, Maxine, since he was 13. Patrick's mother died when he was 4. She was unknowingly exposed to radiation while pregnant and working at a hospital. As a result of the radiation, she gave birth to a son without eyes, without a nose, without toes and missing several fingers. Patrick's sister, Tiffany, born two years later, was normal.

"I sent him to Willow Glen because my granddaughter was going to Leland High School, and Patrick, being blind and handicapped, she just might be uncomfortable," his grandmother said. After the California School of the Blind told her Patrick could only handle "work at his own pace" classes, she became determined to prove Patrick could move right into a mainstream curriculum and succeed.

She wrote the Almaden Lions Club for help while trying to figure out how to make sure her grandson had the resources he needed to succeed. Tom Smith, former president of the club, said, "I went to meet with Patrick and said we need to do something for this kid. We decided to get him a Braille machine."

The club came through, raising $9,700 to buy the state-of-the-art machine.

The computer scans pages, reads out loud and stores thousands of notes. Money left over from the fundraising went toward buying a GPS peripheral for the computer.

The Lions are also planning to induct Patrick as a member, "because he's an absolute inspiration," Smith said. "When he received an award from his school, the students in the audience were screaming, 'Patrick! Patrick! Patrick!'"

His grandmother remembers the fuss. "He just looked at me and said, 'my goodness, they went on so long!' "

Although Wilkus doesn't dwell on the obstacles in his way, his grandmother knows how hard life has been. "I didn't realize this was going to happen."

"When my daughter-in-law was dying and said, 'Would you raise my children?' I never thought it would actually happen," she said. "But we enjoy having both of the children. They're great joys in our life."

The joys seem to outweigh the challenges. Maxine Wilkus said living with her grandson is an awesome experience. "Patrick sees what you are, not what you look like. He doesn't judge like other people do."

She laughed while talking about his sense of humor. One day she was driving down the freeway, she recalled, in chaotic traffic. "Patrick said, 'Just be glad I'm not driving!' "

This summer the pair will be spending a lot of time on the San José State campus, memorizing step by step the route to his classes. Step by step, his grandmother knows Patrick will steer his life wherever he wants to go.