Patients at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital got a private performance from current contestants on the television show “America’s Got Talent,” a family band named Edgar, July 26.
Nikki Leonti-Edgar, her husband, Ryan, and daughter Jaslyn, who make up the group, stopped by the hospital to sing and visit with patients.
Edgar performed five songs for an intimate crowd of roughly 50 patients and staff, during which one young patient took it upon himself to join in. Franco Gonzalez Bucio, 2, from San Bernardino, a lover of all things musical according to his mom, joined the trio with his pint-sized guitar.
Watch this video of Franco and Edgar — and stay tuned for something really cute at the 1:30 mark. (Story continues below.)
“He likes to pretend he can play any instrument,” Maria Gonzalez Bucio said of her son, who has been in and out of the hospital since May battling leukemia. “He even likes to serenade the girls on the unit.”
This visit was band member Nikki’s first time back at LLU Children’s Hospital in over 25 years — since her brother lost his battle with cancer. Nikki wanted to give back to the hospital and staff who compassionately cared for her brother by sharing her family’s music with patients, like Franco, who are undergoing treatment at the hospital.
“Seeing these kids struggling definitely makes it hard to keep it together,” Nikki says, “but knowing we’re bringing joy and offering a moment away from their individual situations makes it a little easier.”
Nikki, a Corona, California, native, now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and band mate Ryan and their three children. Their oldest, Jaslyn, is the only one singing on the show.
Before the band departed the hospital, Edgar got input from the patients on what song they should sing for their next performance on “America’s Got Talent.” They also visited with patients on the units who were unable to attend the performance.
The family trio made their debut performance on “America’s Got Talent” in June this year and will begin live shows this August on NBC. They hope to return to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital in the near future to sing for the kids again.