Young Fan Battling Disease Gets 'Wonderful Life Experience' When Meeting Morgan Wallen
You might not think of Morgan Wallen as the kind of musician who'd be super popular with kids, but the country singer has plenty of young listeners—and he gave one little boy the thrill of a lifetime at a recent Kansas City concert.
6-year-old Wallen fan Owen Arnold was born with a heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). In a statement to Country Now, Owen's mom Alexis Arnold explained that her son has had three heart surgeries over the course of his life—but his love of music has remained a constant despite his ongoing health challenges, particularly his fondness for Wallen. So when the star partnered with the Make-a-Wish foundation to arrange a backstage meet-and-greet for Owen, the boy couldn't have been more thrilled.
In a sweet Facebook post, Owen hears the news that he's going to meet his favorite singer in person, and his reaction is priceless.
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"What a wonderful life experience," Owen's great aunt Patricia Arnold wrote in the comments. "So proud of our niece for being the most amazing mom. Proud of great nephews!"
Before the start of Wallen's August 1 show, Owen and his family had the opportunity to spend some time with the musician backstage, where Owen and his idol chatted about baseball and dirt bikes before Wallen promised to give Owen a shoutout from the stage—which he did a little while later, before performing "Last Night."
“I met with a little boy who has been going through a super hard time in life lately, right before the show and I told him I would shout him out at some point during the show so I’m going to do that right now," Wallen said. "His name is Owen and hopefully he’s still here."
In a clip posted by Alexis that's since been deleted from social media, Owen's family screamed enthusiastically before the boy began singing along with the hit song.
“Morgan was such a great guy. Owen and Morgan clicked so easily and I’m very grateful for Morgan Wallen and Make-A-Wish for giving my son this experience. He deserves this! ??," Alexis wrote after the concert.
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