This Was Arguably the Best Part of the Home Run Derby
If you tuned in to the 2015 Home Run Derby Monday night, at least one moment was guaranteed to give you the chills.
Marlana VanHoose, who is blind and lives with cerebral palsy, delivered a breathtaking rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” before the game.
Marlana, who is 20 and lives in Denver, Kentucky, was born with cytomegalovirus, a virus that can lead to retina inflammation. She was blind by the time she was just weeks old and wasn’t expected to live more than a year, according to her website. Marlana was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy at age 2,
Marlana has sung at events all over the country. Many of her performances, like the ones at the University of Kentucky basketball game in 2012 and Game 6 of the 2015 NBA Finals, garnered national attention. Now, she can add this latest performance at the Cincinnati Reds stadium to the list.
Watch Marlana’s performance in the video below.
To learn more about Marlana, visit her website.
h/t The Blaze
Rachel Kassenbrock is an Associate Editor at The Mighty. She recently graduated from the College of Wooster with a degree in English, and has previously written for the Ms. magazine blog and LifeinLA.com. She now lives in Los Angeles where she enjoys live music, being outside and all things coffee-related. You can follow her at @rkassenbrock or email her at rachel@themighty.com.
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