Chrissi Scinta, former lead singer of the Scintas, a family group that consists of Chrissi’s brothers Frankie and Joe, plus "adopted" drummer Peter O’Donnell, started having throat problems in 2012.
Frankie Scinta brought Chrissi onstage when she was five years old and she sang and danced up till she was sidelined with voice issues.
She lost her voice as the Scintas show was winding down at the Hilton (now Westgate). Initially, she was hoarse and had a sore throat. But then it got bad: Her vocal cords gave out. And it got even worse when it was discovered that her throat was hemorrhaging.
Still, she tried to move forward and started rehearsing for a new show at the D in downtown Las Vegas in 2013. But she could hardly talk, let alone sing.
"The best she’s managed is halfway through a first song," Frankie Scinta told Robin Leach. "Then her vocal chords just freeze up as if throttled by a pair of hands squeezing the life out of her."
Chrissi reportedly has gone to every medical center and been seen by every specialist, but her condition doesn’t seem to have improved.
Fellow Buffalo, N.Y., singer Janien Valentine, who once worked with Clint Holmes, has been standing in for Chrissi since 2013, singing, dancing, and doing shtick with Frankie and Joe when the Scintas perform two weekends a month at the Plaza.
We wish Chrissi all the best and hope that she soon recovers from this perplexing and vexing problem.
