26-year-old Chris Medina from Oak Forest, IL, captured America’s heart Wednesday night on American Idol.
For his audition, which was saved for last, Medina sang The Script’s “Break Even” after sharing his story with the judges. And what a story it is.
Medina is engaged to longtime girlfriend, Juliana Ramos, who he proposed to at the Starbucks where she worked in December 2007. The couple planned to get married two years later, in December 2009, but on October 2, 2009, just two weeks before her bridal shower, Juliana was in an accident that left her nearly paralyzed, with a traumatic brain injury.
Medina has stuck by his fiancee’s side, helping her mother care for her since the accident. “What kind of guy would I be if I walked out when she needed me the most?” asks Chris.
Juliana’s mother has set up a Facebook page, “For Juliana,” where she blogs about her daughter’s progress. On Wednesday, she posted:
I will keep this brief (for once) because you see I have a daughter healing from a brain injury who is a bit excited today and I want to share that excitement with her. But I needed to take some time to acknowledge that prayer works. If you look around you, it’s plain to see that good things happen when voices gather together for a common cause. They can even create….Magic. So when thousands of people are wishing GOOD into existence, you can bet it can move mountains.
Sometimes that magic is a whisper,
Sometimes it’s a shout
And sometimes…
It’s a song.
There is a man in our lives that has risen from a crisis to be a hero. You know that already because I have said it a hundred times in a hundred ways through this blog. Our very own Chris Medina has spent days and nights, losing blood, sweat and oh yes A LOT of tears to beg his fiancé back to health. And through it all he has become deeper, more centered, and an even more soulful individual. This has been witnessed by all of us from his mannerisms to his music. If you didn’t love him before, you do now. If you DID love him, you now adore him. So here’s the deal: (This is no surprise to those that watched the preview for American Idol last week but for those that missed it…um…surprise!) Chris auditioned for American Idol in Milwaukee this year and at 7pm central tonight that episode will air on Fox. I urge to watch and continue to think positive thoughts. You may have also seen on the previews that Chris gets the opportunity to bring this all back to why we have gathered as Team Juli here in the first place…For Juliana
I just want to say… Tonight’s gonna be a good, good night!
Chris Medina is going to Hollywood, and America will be watching! Watch his American Idol audition video below.