Music is one of few things that all people share, though their forms may vary wildly. There are billions of tunes upon millions of tongues, but despite the multitude, how many more songs could there have been? There are silences that should have been filled and melodies forever aborning. This is a story about someone whose voice might never have been heard, whose song was nearly lost behind a prison of silence. Her name is Gina Marie Incandela. She is seven years old.

Gina has performed the National Anthem for the Houston Astros, the Cleveland Indians, the Florida Marlins and the New York Mets in front of a sell out crowd at Shea Stadium. She has auditioned at Radio City Music Hall, performed at the U.S.. Open and appeared on the Today Show. She will soon be singing at a show along with Jordan Sparks, The Naked Brothers Band and Bre Morgan.

Despite only being seven years old, Gina's accomplishments are the match of many seasoned performers. However, this is not what truly makes her unique. The miracle is that Gina has autism, a neurological condition that can severely challenge the ability to socialize and communicate.

When she was 2 years old, Gina had not yet begun to speak. She was diagnosed with PDD NOS (an autistic spectrum disorder.)

Her mother, Michelle, whose fierce pride and love can be found in every word, shares Gina’s story. “In addition to a speech and language delay, she had many other developmental delays. She did not have age appropriate social skills. She had poor eye contact, sensory issues, and feeding issues among others. She had difficulty transitioning and did not adapt well to new environments. She was often afraid in public and could not tolerate noisy places such as theme parks or carnivals. She had odd behaviors such as scratching the floors and walls and stacking her toys instead of playing with them. She had no imaginary play skills. When she went to a playground, she showed no interest in other children. She would simply pick up sticks and rocks.”

”The doctors that diagnosed her were unable to state whether her condition would improve or worsen. They were unable to tell us whether she would ever be able to speak. Their advice was to enroll her in a specialized program as quickly as possible to give her the best chance to overcome her disabilities.”

"She got into music because there was a therapist at her school called Miss Kristin. We noticed, when Gina started music therapy her speech started to improve. I really couldn't tell you why. I don't know if it's because she just sort of learned through music, whether it just reached a different connection with her, or that when she was trying to formulate the words to sing, it was strengthening the muscles that she would have needed for speech. She started singing around the house and I noticed pretty early on that she was really, unusually, accurate with her pitch. When she was three years old, she was singing notes and using vibrato, which was a little odd. At that time, her speech was so poor when she sang a song, you'd have to know what it was to recognize the notes because she couldn't say the words. She was basically only pronouncing vowels."

"She started singing around the house. We had a LeAnne Rimes tape and there was a version of the National Anthem on that tape. Gina started listening and repeating that. We realized Gina had a definite gift for music and performing. She had just turned six and we asked her, 'Gina, would you like to sing the national anthem at a ball game?' and she said 'Yes'. We took her to an audition for the national anthem at a local spring training facility. The Houston Astros train about 10 minutes from our house in Kissimmee, Florida." explains the mom of two. "We really weren't sure how she would do, if she would like it, or if she would be shy singing in front of people. We got to watch our little six-year-old kid get up before that crowd and just absolutely nail the National Anthem, which is one of the hardest songs to sing. I still get chills. From there, things just took off really quickly. She became a very in-demand anthem performer.”

From diamond greens to black foam walls, Gina went on to record her own CD titled 'I Dare To Dream' with Orlando producer/song writer, Tom Dale, who immediately saw something special. "Tom met Gina and said, 'I think her talent is just extraordinary and that we should get her into the studio and record this. She's amazing.' I did not think Gina was going to enjoy the recording studio process because it's very different from performing before a live audience. I was concerned she might find it boring. She went into that studio and had an absolute ball. She loves putting the headphones on and hearing her voice. She has a knack for her timing, when to come in on her song, and usually is dead on just after hearing it a few times. You just don't expect her to get up and sing the way she does. Most of the people that hear her sing don't know about the autism. They'll say, 'That's great' and then we'll talk about the story and when they hear where she started, they're just completely in awe." Michelle reveals.

"Gina is very comfortable on stage, in front of people. She actually prefers a larger crowd; I think it’s actually easier for her to connect with a very large crowd than a small intimate crowd. She's really happy to be up there doing it and it gives her a sense of confidence. If she has a performance, we go as a family so everybody becomes involved with her. We use the opportunities to work on social skills because after she's finished, a lot of people come over to meet and speak with her.”

“We work on maintaining eye contact and answering questions and just talking to people. We use every opportunity we can to work on those skills. It's opened up new doors for her and she blossomed doing this. In just a year, she went from being a shy child with social issues into a confident, social kid and top notch performer."

Gina seems your average little girl who loves playing outside with her little sister, Lexi, or watching Spongebob Squarepants and dancing to music videos. The hoopla surrounding her is lost on Gina at this point, as it would be on any little girl. Adults, of course, realize the magnitude, but aren’t always able to relate on her level. In the past, probing questions as to her state of mind while singing or what goes through her mind have been met with the brilliance of a child, “Birds!”

Gina is using her gift to help others whenever she can. She has performed at numerous charity events including, Autism Speaks and The American Cancer Society. She just recently received the Daily Points of Light award. It is given to one person in the country each day to recognize outstanding volunteer efforts.

When asked what she likes most about singing, Gina has an answer as simple as it is sweet. “It makes people feel happy.”

What might have turned into a lifetime of struggle became the means for a blessing to shine through, her disability being turned back on itself to become the very hill upon which she now stands tall. "We want people to see her, hear her, read her story and say, 'Ya know what? I'm going to help my child. If there is the slightest chance, I'm going to jump on it and get that early intervention. Do everything I can.’ Gina's is a voice that no one may have ever heard, if not for that. We really got very lucky. Every success Gina has is very special to our family. We take none of it for granted. I'm not sure where this road is taking her. I didn't see it coming this quickly, her progressing so fast. We're just sort of taking it one day at a time and seeing what comes next."