This blind teen slayed the National Anthem

LeBron may have been out in full force, but 19-year-old Marlana VanHoose was the real star on the court last night. For Game 6 of the NBA finals, Marlana took the floor to sing the National Anthem before the Golden State Warriors faced, and eventually beat, the Cleveland Cavaliers. But who can even think about basketball after hearing a voice like Marlana’s?

Marlana, who grew up in Kentucky, has cerebral palsy. She wasn’t expected to even reach one year old, but she overcame these odds spectacularly, despite having to live her whole life completely blind thanks to the disease. She was humming before she learned how to talk, and when she was two she taught herself how to play the piano.

She’s a ridiculously talented girl, and people have noticed. She was the 2012 recipient for New Artist of the Year and Young Artist of the Year at the Artist Music Guild, the same year her first singing video went viral. Since then, she’s gone on to sing at countless sporting events, and ESPN even ran a story about her back in December. 

These opportunities are extremely important to Marlana. They’re an outlet for her gift, and she just wants to experience the community

You can learn more about Marlana at her website, as well as buy her CD if you just can’t get enough of the voice. For now, here’s last night’s game. Someone pass the tissues.

(Image via)