SALTER PATH, N.C. (WNCT) — Mary Mikels is a woman of many talents.
She has the gift of being able to sing with a beautiful voice. She uses that gift to motivate people while also entertaining them. She performs all over the state and even has performances in other parts of the region.
She does this all while living with being blind since she was born.
Just recently, people gathered at Saint Francis by the Sea in Salter Path to listen to Raleigh’s Mary Mikels sing. Mikels is a motivational singer and has been singing ever since she was a little girl.
“I’ve been singing ever since I can remember,” Mikels said. “When I was little, I pretty much sang everywhere I went. Any chance I had.”
Mary’s mom, Juana Mikels, discovered her talents early on.
“I had given her the soundtrack to ‘Sound of Music.’ I wasn’t sure if it was Julie Andrews coming off the soundtrack or if it was Mary,” Juana Mikels said.
“So, I quickly opened the door and it was Mary, and she was six years old. She sounded just like Julie Andrews.”
“It just thrilled me that she was mixing her voice. She didn’t play with toys. She liked to mix her voice with old answering machines we just kept giving her. She was in her room singing and it just felt like it was part of what she was supposed to do.”
Mary’s voice hits the right note for people. Her story and perseverance are an inspiration.
“I was born totally blind. Without any eyes or optic nerves,” she said.
She expresses herself through music. The 26-year-old has performed on many stages and said she doesn’t get nervous when performing.
“Just to be able to be what you’re singing. To express it as you are feeling whatever it is you’re singing about,” Mary said. “I am extremely thankful to be able to do what I do …. for me to be able to do what I am doing I can’t believe. It’s a God thing.”
Mary’s voice brings people together in harmony.
“I’m so glad she has music because music really is Mary’s life,” her mother said. “Singing for other people is just what she was born to do.
“Sometimes I’m behind the soundboard with tears in my eyes, my eyes get wet. I’m never tired of hearing Mary sing. So first of all, I just love it. And I love what people are about to experience.”
“I know how much joy it brought to me when I heard music and when I knew that I could bring that joy to other people, I understood what it felt like,” Mary said.
Others feel that joy, too.
“I know what it’s like to receive that joy that people have, that people get when they hear whatever I’m doing,” Mary said. “I am human just like they are. I understand what it’s like to be in a good place or be in a bad place and it brings you back.”
Mary is performing several holiday shows in December.
“Christmas is the time where you reflect,” she said.
“Am I being who I am suppose to be? Am I doing everything I can to give instead of receive? I just feel like that is what Christmas is all about. Because that’s what the Savior did and that’s why he came down here.”
In the spirit of Christmas, Mary is sharing her talent with others.
“You’ve got people that walk in the room that are unhappy and they come out and they have smiles on their faces because they’ve heard this music. It’s that ounce of joy when they walk out they may or may not have had when they walked in.”
Her gift is changing the lives of those around her.
“It is like destiny. Because I cannot imagine doing something else that fulfilling, it is magical,” she said.
Mary Mikels travels all around North Carolina and beyond state lines to perform. There are several ways to get in touch with her. You can reach out to her on Facebook or you can contact her through her website.
