In a Minor League baseball game in South Carolina, a 13-year-old visually impaired boy with a heart of gold shocked the audience with a beautiful rendition of the national anthem.
The performance of Sawyer McCarthy, a teenage boy from South Carolina, has garnered over 10 million views and attracted audiences beyond the United States.
“People from around the world unite under the American national anthem. It’s not even their national anthem, but they appreciate the beauty behind it,” said Brianna McCarthy, Sawyer’s 31-year-old mother, to The Epoch Times.
However, beyond the popularity of the short video, Mrs. McCarthy said, “The story behind that video is more meaningful than many people realize.”
Sawyer is blind, suffering from optic nerve hypoplasia and septo-optic dysplasia, causing cognitive delays and some learning difficulties, and has never taken singing lessons.
“He would start singing the national anthem before the class meeting on Friday mornings,” McCarthy said. “If there was a birthday in the class, he would be the first to start singing ‘Happy Birthday.’… We almost intentionally let him lead.”
“Sawyer dared to try singing. He started singing in a small choir project at school.”
Last year, the Columbia Fireflies baseball team contacted the McCarthy family, inquiring if Sawyer would be interested in singing “God Bless America” on July 3, to which the family agreed. Undoubtedly, Sawyer was “extraordinary,” even though he had never sung that song before.
In early 2024, the Columbia Fireflies team contacted the McCarthy family again, asking if Sawyer could sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a game on April 28.
Once again, Sawyer happily agreed. However, just before the game started, the McCarthy family received shocking news: Sawyer’s beloved grandfather was diagnosed with a glioblastoma.
This time, as Sawyer sang the national anthem, his grandfather was waiting in the hospital to undergo brain surgery.
Mrs. McCarthy explained that Sawyer’s grandfather accompanied him when he sang for the first time. She understood how important it was for her father to watch his grandson sing, so she connected with him on Facebook before the game.
What she didn’t know was that the Columbia Fireflies team had recorded Sawyer’s remarkable performance and shared the video online. Before long, his video went viral on the internet.
Mrs. McCarthy was amazed to see the video’s views skyrocket to over a million in the following weeks. It quickly reached over 10 million views. Every time she told Sawyer the latest view count, his reaction showed his humble nature.
“Each time, his reaction is the same,” McCarthy said. “He just smiles and says, ‘Mom, this is really cool.'”
“He knows it’s not about him, he wants everyone to know that God gave him this talent, God gave him the gift of this voice,” she said. “He always points out who deserves the credit: it’s God, all the glory goes to Him.”
This proud mother is delighted that her son’s talent has spread worldwide.
“He has had such an impact that what he impacts us daily is now shared with the world,” Mrs. McCarthy said. “Sawyer has that effect on his spirit. He really is a beautiful child, inside and out.”
Sawyer was born on November 10, 2011, when his parents were both young and had no family nearby. The challenges they faced as young parents became more complicated when Sawyer was three months old and visited a doctor.
An eye specialist magnified Sawyer’s eyes for his parents, explaining that his optic nerves appeared “dead.” An MRI showed that the midline structures of Sawyer’s brain were very thin, almost absent, and his optic nerves had not developed.
Sawyer was subsequently diagnosed with optic nerve hypoplasia and septo-optic dysplasia. This diagnosis shook his parents.
“We were just young inexperienced parents, yet, with a child with special needs, we felt like the world was turned upside down completely. (But) unexpectedly, the Lord completely changed our lives through this tiny baby, in the best way,” Mrs. McCarthy said.
Despite his disabilities, Sawyer never let anything stop him from pursuing his goals.
“He has this spirit, that even though my husband and I may not know what we’re doing, he always encourages us,” said Mrs. McCarthy, mother of six children. “That’s just him. It’s who he is. He’s an encourager.”
Sawyer has different needs that evolve with his growth. His parents do their best to meet the challenges.
“Really, honestly, he makes it so simple. His bubbly personality helps me and my husband take care of him,” Mrs. McCarthy said.
Apart from his incredible singing voice, Sawyer has five siblings. He also has unique interests such as mowing the lawn, using drills, and other noisy tools.
Sawyer loves God and listens to the Bible every day.
“He wants to be a pastor one day, he wants to worship God with his voice, he wants to sing,” his mother said.
In sharing Sawyer’s story with the world, Mrs. McCarthy said:
“I hope people see Sawyer and realize our potential as humans is much greater than we realize. I hope we as a society can be kinder to ourselves, kinder to others, and we’ll receive more grace, more kindness… the world needs it.”
Watch the stunning performance:
(Provided by the Columbia Fireflies)