American Idol's Chris Medina Sings Heart Out for Brain Damaged Girlfriend

(CBS) Lots of people perform on American Idol for fortune or fame. Chris Medina is singing for something bigger - his girlfriend, Juliana Ramos, who was brain damaged in a car accident only two months before they planned to marry.

"Through thick and think, till death to us part, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse. What kind of guy would I be if I walked out when she needed me most," said Medina.

The 26-year-old barista said doctors thought Ramos wouldn't make it, but he believed in her. "I just felt there's no way she's not going to wake up. I didn't know what to expect after that," he said.

Media says he and Ramos' mother are now her full time caretakers. On "Idol," Ramos was in a wheelchair, her body seemed to shake at times beyond her control.

"If I were to make it to Hollywood I feel like it would get her to be happy about something," Medina told the judges. "I feel like I would have already won."

Then he started to sing "Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)" by The Script and he brought the house down.

"That's why he sings so good, because he sings to you," judge Steven Tyler whispered into Ramos' ear after the performance.

The show didn't say what her medical future would be, but one thing is clear - with three "yes" votes from the judges, the couple is going to Hollywood.