A wish come true: Woman with autism to sing anthem at Blue Jays game in August

A simple wish posted on YouTube last month is becoming a reality for a Toronto woman.

"Hi, my name is Carly, I have autism and I hope to sing at the Toronto Blue Jays game."

The effort to help Carly Troup realize her dream began when she sang the national anthem at an Autism Speaks event at Nathan Phillips Square last month. A spokeswoman from the organization asked everyone in the square to share Carly's wish on social media using the hashtag #letcarlysing.

"She did an amazing job," her proud dad Peter Troup  told CBC News. "She doesn't get nervous, she's got that calm and coolness."

And how did Carly — who just turned 21 and also just graduated from high school — respond to the invitation from the Jays to sing at Rogers Centre on Aug. 27? 

"It was pretty cool," she said. "I never get nervous, I just feel happy and proud of myself."

Peter said that within a few days of the video being posted online, "we got a call from the Jays saying, 'We know this is Carly's dream and we want to make it come true.'"

Peter Troup said Carly began singing when she was around five and taught herself how to play the guitar, flute and ukulele.

"She asked for a ukulele last Christmas and by the end of Christmas Day she was playing songs on it," he said. "My mother paid for 10 years of music lessons for me and it was money well wasted. We haven't paid a cent for music lessons for Carly and she's just picked it up."

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Troup said his daughter often sings both national anthems five or six times a day in the basement, adding that she "drives her brother crazy, drives her mother crazy. 

"Sometimes we have to tell her, 'Carly, once or twice is cool.' But, you know what? It's her passion."

Troup hopes Carly's story gives hope to parents of autistic children.

"When your child is diagnosed, it's devastating," he said. "You think, 'What's the hope for them down the road?' We struggled with that for many, many years." 

But, he added, "these kids all have their own talents and you have to find that and really work on that. When she was younger, the smallest things would upset her and she would cry and scream but music just seemed to calm her down."

Carly has a few more items on her bucket list.

"My other dream is to sing at an Oshawa Generals, Toronto Marlies or Toronto Maple Leafs game," she said.