Tyler Butler-Figueroa appeared on America’s Got Talent at 11-years-old and shared he had been bullied in school after being diagnosed with cancer
Butler-Figueroa started playing the violin after his diagnosis, and has been in remission for nearly 5 years
After AGT host Simon Cowell’s back injury, Butler-Figueroa wished him a speedy recovery and is praying for him
Tyler Butler-Figueroa got the golden buzzer from Simon Cowell (no easy feat!) when he appeared on America’s Got Talent, and now he’s helping lift up his mentor and champion. Cowell recently broke his back in a bike accident and while lots of his friends are sending well-wishes, Tyler’s is particularly meaningful since he knows first-hand how important support can be while facing health issues.
Tyler, now 12, first appeared on America’s Got Talent at 11-years-old and impressed everyone from the moment he walked on stage. While speaking to the judges, the young boy shared that he had started playing the violin at 7 1/2 because he was being bullied after being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. According to Tyler, classmates would say his cancer was “contagious” and make fun of him for the disease, but he’s been in remission for nearly 5 years. His story broke everyone’s hearts, but he clearly took that experience and gained strength from it by performing an incredible instrumental routine of Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” — which prompted Simon Cowell to give him the Golden Buzzer.
Cowell recently broke a part of his back after falling off his electric bike, and underwent surgery. He’s resting comfortably, and to lift his spirits, Tyler shared a photo of the two of them together and wrote that Cowell is in his prayers and wishes him a speedy recovery.
“Hello everyone! Join my family and I in sending up prayers and good thoughts for Simon Cowell from America’s Got Talent. Simon had an accident and is recovering from a back injury. Simon, we wish you a speedy recovery,” Tyler wrote.
How Music Helped Survivors Get Through Cancer Treatment
Feeling isolated during cancer treatment is unfortunately a lot more common than you might think. Some survivors say that after their diagnosis, they noticed that people who they thought were close friends started to distance themselves and stop communicating with them. This was the case for two-time cancer survivor and singer, Bianca Muniz, who says she lost a lot of people in her because they couldn’t understand what she was going through.
“People don’t really know how to deal with what I’m going through … I didn’t care to talk about what was happening with me,” she says. “I just wanted things to be normal, and they just didn’t really understand how to do that.”
While battling two separate cancers was a often a difficult challenge, Muniz says music was a way to escape from her darkest days. While making music, her diagnosis served as a double edged sword. On one hand, she drew inspiriation from her journey, but treatment impaired her voice significantly.
“This experience has had two different effects on my creativity and my music, so I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from it,’ Muniz says. “But also the side effects of treatment, of chemo, and surgery have definitely had a little bit of a negative effect on my voice. But then again, I love performing. I always feel happy after I’ve performed.”
Tyler Butler-Figueroa appeared on America’s Got Talent at 11-years-old and shared he had been bullied in school after being diagnosed with cancer
Butler-Figueroa started playing the violin after his diagnosis, and has been in remission for nearly 5 years
After AGT host Simon Cowell’s back injury, Butler-Figueroa wished him a speedy recovery and is praying for him
Tyler Butler-Figueroa got the golden buzzer from Simon Cowell (no easy feat!) when he appeared on America’s Got Talent, and now he’s helping lift up his mentor and champion. Cowell recently broke his back in a bike accident and while lots of his friends are sending well-wishes, Tyler’s is particularly meaningful since he knows first-hand how important support can be while facing health issues.
Tyler, now 12, first appeared on America’s Got Talent at 11-years-old and impressed everyone from the moment he walked on stage. While speaking to the judges, the young boy shared that he had started playing the violin at 7 1/2 because he was being bullied after being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. According to Tyler, classmates would say his cancer was “contagious” and make fun of him for the disease, but he’s been in remission for nearly 5 years. His story broke everyone’s hearts, but he clearly took that experience and gained strength from it by performing an incredible instrumental routine of Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” — which prompted Simon Cowell to give him the Golden Buzzer.
Cowell recently broke a part of his back after falling off his electric bike, and underwent surgery. He’s resting comfortably, and to lift his spirits, Tyler shared a photo of the two of them together and wrote that Cowell is in his prayers and wishes him a speedy recovery.
“Hello everyone! Join my family and I in sending up prayers and good thoughts for Simon Cowell from America’s Got Talent. Simon had an accident and is recovering from a back injury. Simon, we wish you a speedy recovery,” Tyler wrote.
How Music Helped Survivors Get Through Cancer Treatment
Feeling isolated during cancer treatment is unfortunately a lot more common than you might think. Some survivors say that after their diagnosis, they noticed that people who they thought were close friends started to distance themselves and stop communicating with them. This was the case for two-time cancer survivor and singer, Bianca Muniz, who says she lost a lot of people in her because they couldn’t understand what she was going through.
“People don’t really know how to deal with what I’m going through … I didn’t care to talk about what was happening with me,” she says. “I just wanted things to be normal, and they just didn’t really understand how to do that.”
While battling two separate cancers was a often a difficult challenge, Muniz says music was a way to escape from her darkest days. While making music, her diagnosis served as a double edged sword. On one hand, she drew inspiriation from her journey, but treatment impaired her voice significantly.
“This experience has had two different effects on my creativity and my music, so I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from it,’ Muniz says. “But also the side effects of treatment, of chemo, and surgery have definitely had a little bit of a negative effect on my voice. But then again, I love performing. I always feel happy after I’ve performed.”
