“It’s OK” is the story of the last year of her life, battling cancer, so she’s really not OK as she still has cancer in her lungs, spine and liver. In fact, she only has a 2 percent chance of surviving, but she is upbeat about it, saying, “Two percent is not zero. Two percent is something.” “We have singers come on and I think about authenticity,” Howie Mandel told her following her performance. “You know when you feel it, when it moves you. That feels like the most authentic thing I have heard this season.” Sofia Vergara agreed, saying, “That was surprising. It was powerful, it was heartfelt. I think you’re amazing.” And Heidi Klum added, “You gave me chills. Your voice is so beautiful to listen to all the way around.” But it was Simon Cowell who was really touched by the performance. “Your voice is stunning,” Simon told the Zanesville, Ohio native. “Absolutely stunning. I totally agree with what Howie said about authenticity. There was something about that song and how you casually told us what you’re going through.” To which Nightbirde replied, “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.” The thought gave Simon pause, and then he said, “There have been some great singers this year and I am not going to give you a yes,” and you could see the shocked look on Sofia’s face as she sat next to him. But then he added, “I am going to give you something else,” and he pressed the Golden Buzzer. It brought Nightbirde to tears as she wants the audience to know, “It’s important that everyone knows I’m so much more than the bad things that happen to me.” America’s Got Talent airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
