Huge American Idol Fan

First of all, for those people who like to make fun of me for being addicted, obsessed, whatever you choose to call it, with AI, that's fine with me. I am. I am proud of it. I must tell you that I LOVE Danny Gokey soooo freaking much that it could be illegal. I look forward to Tuesday nights because I can't wait to see his performance. Besides his amazing vocal talent, what I love about him is his passion and ability to be emotional on stage and let his fans into his world of pain and grief for his wife.

Those of you who are true Danny fans like myself realize that basically every week he picks a song, it is in honor/dedication to his wife. Very briefly, those of you who don't follow AI and don't know Danny's history; he lost his wife about four weeks before he auditioned for AI. She died during a surgery to try and correct a form of congenital heart disease that she suffered with. The doctor told them the there was only a 10% chance of death during the surgery. It's so extremely sad and heart breaking and every week I see Danny step onto that stage, I can feel his passion and bereavement.

Because I love his story SOOO much, I've found it and included it in this post so you have to look no further. I only hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


It was last week though that his voice and his performance sent chills down every spot on my body and warmed my heart in a way that I didn't know a song could do. My eyes teared up and I felt what he felt. His rendition of Rascal Flat's "What Hurst the Most" was absolutely out of this world. If you haven't heard it, you can download it on I-Tunes, however I recommend you find his original performance so you can see it for yourself (plus he adds a line specifically for his wife in that performance). I've embedded his performance of the song here for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to note that it sounds far away because it's an upload from youtube... his studio version is much better (however doesn't include the "come back to me" line, which absolutely melted my heart).


While writing this I decided to Google some pictures to find one of Danny and his wife, Sophia, and learned a lot more about them. After Sophia's death, Danny used her life insurance proceeds to start an organization called "Sophia's Heart Foundation" which you can check out for yourself at www.sophiasheart.org. She always wanted a big family, however her unfortunate heart disease prevented them from having one. The foundation helps sick children, families in poverty, families with losses of loved ones, etc. You should definitely check out the website.

Can't wait for tomorrow night! Go Danny!! You're an inspiration to everyone out there with pain, troubles, and disappointment in their lives.