Blind Teen With Cerebral Palsy Brings Down The House With National Anthem

Blind Teen With Cerebral Palsy Sings Show-Stopping National Anthem

Marlana VanHoose, who has cerebral palsy and was born blind, can sing like a Grammy Award-winning superstar.

The 18-year-old, from Denver, Kentucky, sang the "Star Spangled Banner" at the launch of Rand Paul's presidential campaign Tuesday, and she absolutely brought the house down.

As CBS political reporter Rebecca Kaplan put it in a tweet: "That was incredible."

According to VanHoose's website, the teen wasn't expected to live for more than a year after birth; she left that possibility in the rear-view mirror long ago.

"I like to give people hope and strength to live," VanHoose told CBS News in 2013. "From singing and from encouraging people ... I genuinely sing to people who are lost."

For more on VanHoose's story, watch this ESPN feature from 2014:

Before You Go

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