Luke Combs has one of the biggest hearts in county music, he proved that once again recently, taking care of a young fan battling acute myeloid leukemia. After hearing Addison (Addi) Conely’s story, the country singer went to work making sure she had the trip of a lifetime.
Combs flew the 17-year-old and her entire family out from their home in California to Ohio for his performance at the Buckeye Country Superfest on Saturday (July 23.) A driver picked them up at the airport and whisked them over to the venue, where they were surprised to learn that they would be spending time backstage with Combs himself.
“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,” Conely’s mom Staci shares in a lengthy Facebook post.
“He gave so much love as we listened and cried with their stories they were exchanging,” she continues. “This moment made time stand still. She was genuinely happy and so blown away by his kindness, honestly we all were.”
However, Combs didn’t stop there. He arranged for the family to sit in a suite at the show and outfitted it with all sorts of food and drinks. To top it off, he invited Conely on stage so he could serenade her with her favorite song, “Better Together.”
“This is my friend Addi that I met today and Addi’s going through some health things at the moment and I came across her on social media,” Combs told the crowd. “I had been tagged in a few things and her biggest wish was to come out and see a show. So, we flew Addi and her family out from California to be with us in Columbus tonight and I want to give her the experience of what it really feels like to be up here in front of 60,000 people tonight.”
“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,” Staci writes. “Her smile says it all! Tonight was perfect,” she continued. “God was here with us, we felt him! In the laughter, the warm air, the smiles and the soft hugs we were given all night long. Thank you, Luke Combs and team for giving our girl the most perfect night.”
“They say a picture is worth a thousand words, crazy enough I can’t find any that would tell you how this moment made us feel! Luke Combs you are a class act and have a heart of Gold that is seen in everyone who works with you and has the true honor to meet you,” she adds.
According to the American Cancer Society, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) develops in the bone marrow and spreads to the blood and other parts of the body. AML is one of the most common types of leukemia, and accounts for one percent of all cancers. It’s most common in people who are over the age of 45, though, as in Addi’s care, it can occur in children.
Combs’ Columbus show was one of his first public appearances since the birth of his son, Tex Lawrence, on Father’s Day (June 19). His Middle of Somewhere Tour is scheduled to kick off in the fall.
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