Marlana VanHoose to sing National Anthem at Republican convention

Johnson County-native Marlana VanHoose will sing the National Anthem tonight at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

"I love this country. It is a complete honor to be chosen to honor my country on this platform at the Convention", said VanHoose.

VanHoose's dynamic voice has won her invitations to some of the largest sporting events in the United States. The Kentucky native first won the hearts of fans when she performed for the University of Kentucky's women's basketball team in 2012.

"Once in a while, the world is blessed with a special voice, Marlana has a quality that is pure and honest," said Riley Harrison Clark of the Nashville-based Tribute Quartet who is VanHoose's vocal coach and biggest fan. "Expect to hear much more from this little dynamo in the future."

Marlana was born with Cytomegalovirus and by the time she was a few weeks old it was discovered that she was blind. Her optic nerve never formed. She was not expected to live past one year. At the age of two, Marlana was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy.