Florence Welch staged a special private concert for an ailing fan on Friday (20May16) when she performed by the teen’s hospice bedside in Texas.
A young girl in Austin had been due to attend Florence + The Machine’s gig at the Austin360 Amphitheater on Thursday, but she was forced to skip the show as she was too ill to leave the medical centre.
Florence learned about the tough decision and instead decided to make it up to the 15-year-old by taking the show to her hospice room, where she performed just for the youngster, reports People.com.
Hospice Austin nurse Christie Kramer reveals medical staff reached out to Florence via the Christopher House community charity – but even after the singer gave her word to stop by for a visit, the patient’s mother, Catherine Chen, wasn’t convinced it would actually happen.
In a post online, Kramer explained, “We have a patient who held long cherished tickets to see Florence and The Machine last night with her BFF (best friend forever). All week through set back after set back she asked if she would be able to go.
“We tried to entertain the idea and it felt so scary and overwhelming for the medical staff and her mother that finally I said no, and my heart broke again.”
She continued, “And then, through a remarkable team effort on the part of Christopher House and Hospice Austin Staff, we were able to make contact with Florence. My patient’s mom was so nervous- will she really come? Is she here yet? She kept popping out of the room and checking.
“And Florence came. And her mom burst into tears of joy at the sight of her and Florence gave her a big hug. ”
Chen shared video footage of the concert surprise on Instagram.com on Friday, when she heaped praise on Florence for making her girl’s wish come true.
“@florence of #Florence&TheMachine is such a beautiful and kind soul!!” the proud mum captioned the clip. “She brought so much joy to all of us today. What a Blessing!!”
“@florence Of #florenceandthemachine Is not only an awesome artist but an even more amazing human being!!,” Chen wrote beside a photo of the meeting. “She made my sweet pea so happy today.”
Among the tunes Florence sang with the teen included Shake It Out and Dog Days Are Over, for which the star was accompanied by guitarist Rob Ackroyd, as a group of the girl’s friends looked on in excitement.
“There were shrieks and squeals and so much joyous music and singing and tears and tears and tears of grief and joy and hope and love and utter devastation,” Kramer added, “and somehow simple kindness made everything better.”
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