In this world, there are a lot of things that we take for granted. Take the entire situation before the pandemic hit the world, for example. Being able to see our friends or even complete strangers without thinking about masks or social distancing, were definitely very different times.

Another thing we might take for granted all-too-often is the ability to feel, hear, see, and taste everything around us. Our senses truly are a gift, and unfortunately, not everyone can relate.

Some people know what it was like to actually have a certain sense, only for it to be taken away from them due to an accident or a disease.

Mandy Harvey is one of those people.

Could you imagine not being able to rely on your sense of sight, hearing, smell, or taste in your daily life? Even the smallest task suddenly becomes a lot more challenging, and it’s an eye-opener to see just how reliant we are on our senses.

For musicians, losing your sense of hearing is perhaps their worst nightmare, and that’s exactly what happened to Mandy.

After all, how can you sing properly or make music when you can’t even hear what sounds you’re producing or if your voice is in tune?

Even though it would be a huge challenge, Mandy was determined to keep on doing what she loves best: singing and writing songs. She specializes in pop and jazz genres and you might even know her already.

You see, she participated in the 12th season of America’s Got Talent. Not only was she able to perform for a national audience, but she was also able to tell her story.

Mandy’s performances in the talent show were magnificent and heart-moving, landing her fourth place overall in the competition.

The talented young woman’s musical career actually started from a very young age.

“I started as part of choir. My mom put me in a choir class, pretty sure for daycare needs. And I fell in love with it. I was always a hard of hearing child, so for me it was a way to be a part of a community and a part of the conversation and it kind of became addictive as my form of expressing myself,” she said to The Ruderman Foundation.

She always had a huge passion and heart for music, and it surprised absolutely no one that she would focus her college studies on it.

“I went to school for education, I never in my wildest dreams wanted to be a performer. But I wanted to give other people the opportunity to express themselves and to be able to be a part of that community factor that I fell in love with and so I went to school for vocal music education and I was just happy,” Mandy told.

Unfortunately, Mandy started to have severe hearing issues a couple of months after she enrolled in college.

“After months of being at Colorado State University, I started to have extreme difficulty understanding anybody and I couldn’t understand my teachers talking anymore. And over a course of nine months, I went from being slightly hard of hearing to being profoundly deaf, 110 decibels down in both ears.”

Within months, her life drastically changed. She couldn’t hear a thing anymore.

Doctors later diagnosed her with a condition called EDS, short for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. It basically means that some of her nerves were deteriorating rapidly, with no return. When she first heard about this shocking diagnosis, the young woman started to realize that she would maybe have to give up music.

However, she quickly got inspired by other deaf musicians and decided to just keep on doing what she loves doing.

This amazing performance for The Kennedy Center was taken after she was already diagnosed with EDS, and the way she stands on the stage with confidence yet humility is truly inspiring.

Mandy actually performs an original song called “Smile”, which has helped her through her some of her turbulent and difficult times.

Be sure to check out the stunning performance below.

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Source: The Kennedy Center (YouTube), The Ruderman Foundation