We've got talent!

Last Wednesday, I saw someone that I knew performing on a reality t.v. show. The show was America’s Got Talent, and the performer was my stepbrother’s wife, Barbara Padilla. It was a surreal and exciting experience, to say the least, to watch Barbara sing Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro” on a show with over 10 million viewers.

On the day of the show, we learned that Barbara was going to be part of the televised Houston auditions that night. We immediately got the word out through Facebook and phone calls. My 13-year-old excitedly text messaged the news to her friends.

As the show began, we had to sit there on pins and needles, watching a mix of weird and wonderful performers step up to the mike. The first act, the charming “Texas Tenors” got the crowd warmed up. We laughed at the raunchy but surprisingly funny Grandma Lee, and were grateful that the relative we were waiting to see was not the circus dude who stapled things to his forehead.

We waited nervously for Barbara to come on, baited by the commercials that hinted at her story. Finally, it was her turn. A short bio introduced her. “Last to perform is a stay-at-home mom who’s hoping to impress the judges by dusting off her lifelong dream,” said the host in a voice-over. My girls cheered when they saw her being interviewed in the clip, along with their uncle Kyle and little cousin Elizabeth.

Then it was show time, and Barbara arrived on the stage in an elegant white dress. After a few notes, we could tell that the judges were surprised, as we had been once, that such a tiny lady could have such a big, operatic voice. Barbara gave an beautiful, moving performance and ended the song on a soaring note. The crowd roared and gave her standing ovation.

The first judge to speak, Piers Morgan, told her, “You have an amazing voice.” He asked her what it felt like to have performed like that.

Clearly touched by the response, she joked, “how long do I have to answer that question?” Then, she shared some of her story. “I’ve lived through miracles, and this is one more miracle because I’m a cancer survivor. I was sick for five years, and I’m in remission, and now I’m here. What a dream!” she said, with a big smile.

Barbara had first come to Houston from Guadalajara, Mexico for treatment for Hodgkins lymphoma at M.D. Anderson Hospital. While in Houston, she also auditioned for a spot in the master's program of the University of Houston's music school. Weakened by radiation, and weighing about 90 pounds, she tried out. The faculty, clearly impressed, awarded her a full scholarship.

The first time that I heard her sing, I was having dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Houston with Barbara and Kyle, along with my dad and stepmother. The mariachis came by, and Kyle asked if Barbara could join them in a song. When she hit her first high note, everything in the restaurant stopped. Waiters paused to listen. Afterwards, as the dining patrons cheered, one woman came over and praised her. “You made my mother cry," she said.

Whether performing before a few dozen in a restaurant, or before millions on t.v., Barbara gives an emotionally riveting performance. As judge David Hasselhoff told her, “What you did is, you showed us your heart.”

The judges voted unanimously to send her to the next round in Vegas. May Lady Luck shine on you, Barbara!

You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDRsxMMqAEU