Contestant with brain injury gets standing ovation after singing

June 5, 2012

Tim Poe suffers from a severe stutter when he speaks due to a recent brain injury, but it disappears completely when he sings. And boy, can he sing.

Tim served in the US Military and was deployed in Afghanistan years ago. He was patrolling with a small team when he saw a grenade coming right for them. By the time he jumped out of the way to land on his friends, he was too late and his body took the heavy blow from the blast.

Tim suffered a broken back and a brain injury which left him in critical condition. It is amazing that he is able to walk on his own, let alone talk and sing. Tim made a full recovery.

He began going to speech therapy and his therapist asked him to sing in the shower to help with his stutter. That is when he found out that not only his stutter disappears while singing, but he also has a great voice.

His wife convinced him to enter America's Got Talent since the production toured his hometown in Texas looking for the next big thing. Tim sang Garth Brook's "If tomorrow never comes" which left the entire audience in tears. After the song, the crowd as well as all 3 judges, were off their seats.

In his emotional interview before his performance, he mentioned that once the grenade hit, all he could think about was his daughter and that he may never get to see her walk down the aisle. Tim could not have picked a better song.

Tim is a remarkable story that proves to never give up and always follow your dreams. It also shows that there is something magical about music. In another recent news article, The Power of Music: Unresponsive to Animated, I tell the story of a man in a nursing home who can't speak until he hears his favorite music. What is it about music that makes the brain work different?

We may never understand, but good luck to Tim. I hope he goes far on the show!