A Special Wish Foundation Cleveland is in the business of making sick kids smile.
Friday night, when they paired up with local band Country Redford, a 9-year-old star stole the show.
Her name is Oliviah Hall, but Oliviah works just fine. Think Cher, or Madonna, or Pink.
For Oliviah, this night was a welcome break from chemo, radiation, and trying to just stay alive.
The crowd was on their feet from the start when Country Redford opened up the stage for Oliviah, a fierce fighter still working to kick cancer to the curb.
“Yeah it’s been a rough year,” Oliviah says
A hard-to-beat brain tumor took a backseat as this resilient, talented, about-to-be 10-year-old in September, sang her heart out.
It was almost Janice Joplin-like when Oliviah belted out Carrie Underwood’s “Champion” from somewhere deep down.
A voice from somewhere that sounded way beyond her years. And Oliviah never took a singing lesson in her life.
She was going to, "But then I got cancer and blah blah blah and I was at the hospital, sick in bed, not able to go, but now here I am!!!"
Oliviah speaks with a spirit that clearly trumps any complaining and shows self loathing simply isn’t an option, especially on a night that she gets to rock it for her fans who filled the summer concert tent at The Aurora Inn.
“It feels good. I love making people smile or laugh. Sometimes I make them bawl their eyes out. I don’t mean to but I do,” Oliviah says with a laugh and a bona fide sparkle in her eye.
“I think she’s an inspiration to us all. She’s happier than I’ve ever been. She is always smiling,” said Chris Preneta, who plays lead guitar for Country Redford.
That smile, even through rigorous radiation treatments, is even bigger when she says just 2-3 more days of radiation means...
“Celebration...”, Oliviah sings with goofy, googly eyes and of course, there’s that trademark smile again.
While we watched the "Superstar" signing pictures of her awesome self for fans who stood in line, it occurred to us:
Sometimes the greatest superstars worthy of signing autographs are right here among us.
Sometimes they are just 9-years-old.
Sometimes they inspire us right when we need it most.
And we promise to take a page from Oliviah‘s book.
Click here to find out more about "Team Oliviah"