17-year-old Addison “Addi” Conely is one of Luke Combs‘ biggest fans. She also has cancer.
According to KFROG 95.1 out of California, Addi has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer called Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She received her diagnosis last year. Since then, her family has been helping her cross off items on her bucket list. So far she’s gone for a hot air balloon ride, embarked on an RV trip up the coast, and most recently…flew to Ohio to see Luke in concert.
Addi’s mother, Staci, explained in a post on Facebook that she managed to get ahold of Luke’s team. They made arrangements to fly Addi and her family out to see Luke’s performance at the Buckeye Country Superfest in Columbus, Ohio.
Luke took time out of his day to hang out with Addi and her folks backstage before the show:
“He chatted with Addi and hung on her every word, talked about his beautiful wife, their brand new baby, his friend who had cancer twice once in the third grade and then again last year. How they all shaved their heads to stand with him and Addi talked about how all of her brothers, bf and friend’s did too on the same day she lost her hair. He gave so much love as we listened and cried with their stories they were exchanging. This moment made time stand still. She was genuinely happy and so blown away by his kindness, honestly we all were,” Staci wrote.
Luke asked Addi what her favorite song was, and she told him it was “Better Together.” That just so happened to be the song he planned to play for his encore that night.
So when it was time for his encore performance, Luke asked Addi to join him onstage.
“He asked everyone to turn on their flashlights and to sing along to our girl and they did just that,” Staci said about the moment. “It was so beautiful, we all watched while the tears streamed down our cheeks. Tonight the world was right and there was no talk of Addi’s cancer, no talk of dying and no talk of not making it to her 18th birthday. Her smile says it all! Tonight was perfect.”
Luke later reflected on the special moment in a post on social media. He shared a video of him and Addi onstage together, and said:
“I want to introduce y’all to my new friend Addi,” he said. “She has Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I heard about her story and knew I had to get her out to a show. I was honored to have her join me on stage in Columbus, OH this past Saturday and let her see what it feels like to play in front of the best fans in the world. This is a moment and video I’ll always cherish. Thank you for being such an inspiration to us all, Addi.”
You can watch Luke and Addi’s heartwarming interaction below. We’ll be keeping Addi in our prayers.