Then, while she was in college, she thought she had an ear infection. It kept getting worse. Mandy has a connective tissue disorder, and her nerves deteriorated. By the time she was 18, she had lost all of her hearing.
She remembers sitting in a music class, pencil ready for a test, waiting for it to start, while everyone around her began writing. She simply couldn’t hear it. That was her last day in the music program.
Her father remembers her telling him in the car, “Dad, I can’t remember what your voice sounds like anymore.”
For a while, Mandy gave up. But her dad suggested they try playing a song together. Using a guitar tuner, she hummed her starting note and went for it. She taught herself to sing again with muscle memory, visual tuners and trust in her pitch.
In 2017, at 29, she came to America’s Got Talent. Before she began, she took off her shoes. She explained that she feels the tempo and the beat through the floor.
Then, with her ukulele, she sang a song she wrote called “Try.” “After I lost my hearing, I gave up,” she said. “But I want to do more with my life than just give up.”
When she finished, the audience stood and cheered. Simon Cowell said, “Mandy, I don’t think you’re going to need a translator for this,” and pressed his Golden Buzzer.
Has anyone ever inspired you to keep going? Share this with them today.
