At an early age, he was diagnosed with the retinal disease called Leber congenital amaurosis, but in 2016, the tirelessly talented folks at the University of Pennsylvania’s Scheie Eye Institute performed a gene therapy treatment that helped to remedy the mutation that had kept him partially blinded for so many years.
So he could definitely see all those smiling faces whenever that Golden Buzzer was pressed, and we’ll be smiling with him as he attempts to join past winners.
Of course, anyone who watched the whole episode — or who might already be familiar with Christian Guardino from his performances at the Apollo Theater in Harlem — know that the aspiring singer hasn’t exactly had the easiest life so far.