Morgan Wallen Makes ‘Core Memories’ With a Young Fan Fighting Cancer [Pictures]
Morgan Wallen gave one young fan the VIP experience of her life during his Saturday night (Sept. 2) show at the Washington, D.C.-area FedEx Field.
According to Music Mayhem, 9-year-old Kenley has long dreamed of attending one of Wallen's shows in person — especially after she was diagnosed with stage 2 kidney cancer late last year.
After surgery to remove her left kidney and 13 lymph nodes, Kenley began once-a-week chemotherapy treatments. Every time she and her mom Kristin took the hour-and-a-half drive to the hospital, Kenley played DJ, and her selections were "nonstop Morgan Wallen songs."
So after she finished a six-month course of chemo in July, Kristin surprised Kenley with a trip to see a stop on Wallen's One Night at a Time Tour. But that's not all: Thanks to some help from a family friend, the family connected with the singer himself, and Kenley was able to go backstage and meet Wallen in person — an experience that came as a "total shock" to the young girl.
"He chatted about football and Nashville and his show," Kristin recounts to Music Mayhem, saying that Wallen "didn't rush the experience at all" and was happy to sign as many items and pose for as many photos as Kenley wanted. He also "asked [Kenley] a few questions and made her night."
"She was treated like a princess from the backstage tour, the access, the takeaways, the general experience," the proud mom says. "She kept telling me it was her best day ever."
Among the items Wallen signed for his young fan was a pink poster she brought to the show, which read, "Thought you should know I finished chemo 2b 'Chasing You'! #KenleyStrong."
Kenley held up that sign from her VIP spot at his show, and a shot of her holding it appeared on the jumbotron during the concert, the crowd cheering their support for her in response.
On Instagram, Kristin also shared a carousel of snapshots from the family's backstage experience, including photos of Kenley posing with Wallen as well as a spotlight on her show outfit, featuring a Wallen T-shirt and a signed pink-and-white cowboy hat.
"Core memories made," she writes in the caption.
Kenley also gifted Wallen a custom-made pink #KenleyStrong bracelet, which he wore throughout the show — a gesture that was "magical" to the family, Kristin says.
Wallen's 2023 One Night at a Time Tour is set to continue through early October.