(Sept. 11) - A 7-year-old autistic girl who once struggled to speak found her voice through the gift of song, and now she's sharing her talent in arenas all over the country.
Gina Incandela of Orlando, Fla., has charmed thousands by singing the national anthem at hockey games, basketball arenas and conventions, according to a CBS News.com report. This week, she took center court at the U.S. Open.
"It's really amazing and it's kinda awesome out there," Gina told CBS News about the feeling she gets when she performs.
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When she was just 2-year-old, Gina was diagnosed with a form of autism. Doctors told her mother, Michelle Incandela, that Gina may never speak.
Through intensive speech therapy, Gina discovered that she had an amazing singing voice and with it a way to conquer her challenges in academics and social development.
"She would sing it in perfect pitch, and perfect key," Michelle Incandela told CBS News.
Grander things awaited after Gina heard the national anthem on television. From there, she wanted to belt out her own rendition at a baseball game despite not having any formal vocal training.
Once the public caught the sound of her voice at a spring training game, she became a sought-after performer by arenas across the country.
Gina even became a good luck charm for the NBA's Orlando Magic, which had her perform several times before games on their surprise postseason rise to the championships earlier this year.
For more on this story, check out CBS News.com.
