One Moment Can Change A Life

Posted by

Beth Houlton

·

When 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert Zito started to sing the National Anthem before an NBA playoff game in 2003, she forgot the words and stopped singing.

The then-head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Maurice Cheeks, quickly stepped up beside her and helped her finish. The soldout crowd went crazy.

Kids made fun of Natalie through high school for it, but the moment gave her “so much courage to keep going” through any challenge life threw her way.

Click here to see the recent full circle moment where Natalie came back to sing the National Anthem in that same arena 22 years later, with Cheeks there cheering her on!

(Photo by Bruce Ely / Portland Trail Blazers)

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About the author

Beth Houlton believes in the power of words and individual actions to fuel positive change, especially when done in an intentional way that benefits us all. Personal and professional endeavors in journalism, law, music, community activism, and nonprofit organizations that work for the greater good provide a unique yet multi-faceted perspective and motivation for this movement.