Former contestant Elliott Yamin was the third runner-up on the most recent season of American Idol. But he comes in first place for 19-year-old fan Amanda Jones whose dream after her diagnosis with leukemia was was to meet Yamin. Her dream came true this weekend when she got the chance to meet Yamin backstage at the "American Idols Live" tour in Richmond, Virgina -- Yamin's hometown.

Jones, from Jonesboro, Arkansas, is such a fan of Yamin's that in May she camped out at Graceland in Memphis just to catch a glimpse of him when the top Idol contestants were visiting the former home of Elvis. Now that she knows Yamin a bit better, Jones feels a real connection with him. "He's my hero. He went through so much in his childhood, struggled through so much, and in the end, he came out on top. That's what I pray and hope I can do," she said.

Yamin, 28, is no stranger to health concerns. He suffers from Type 1 diabetes and is also deaf in one ear -- as a result of repeated childhood ear infections and an ear-drum replacement surgery at the age of 13 that just didn't work out right. Still, he overcame his obstacles and has made a name for himself as a talented singer. Jones wants to overcome her obstacles too. For now, though, she is just happy Yamin helped her forget for a moment that she is a kid with leukemia.