Ed Sheeran has been recently been making the headlines for his third studio album Divide, which he released on March 3. Already, he has embarked on his world tour, and will soon be touring in the United States. Aside from making music, Sheeran, named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2017, also gives back to his community regularly -- he is known to support charities and foundations such as the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the GRAMMY Foundation, and ONE Campaign.
It is no surprise that Sheeran made one dying fan’s wish come true.
Six-year old Ollie Caroll suffers from Batten Disease, a rare, fatal disorder of the nervous system. Batten Disease is a genetic, inherited disease that can take some years to manifest itself. Symptoms often include seizures, visual impairment, behavioral changes, dementia, and the loss of motor skills and the ability to walk, talk, or communicate.
Before the disease took his speech away from him, Ollie loved to sing along to Ed Sheeran’s music. His family shared fond memories of Ollie playing his music through birthday parties and days in the hospitals. They explained that Sheeran's songs were able to pull Ollie through the toughest of times, even including brain surgery.
Even now that he is unable to sing along to the music, he still listens to it constantly.
Unsurprisingly, at the top of Ollie’s wish list was meeting Ed Sheeran. His family created an online campaign to make his dreams come true.
Sheeran heard of the campaign soon after and visited Ollie in the hospital.
His family shared this image on their Facebook page, “Ollie’s Army Battling Against Battens,” with this caption: “As soon as Ed walked into the room yesterday and spoke Ollie's eye lit up and a smile spread across his face.
This image was priceless.” Ollie finally met the man who taught him the "power of love and music." They added that Sheeran spent time with all three of the siblings, gave Ollie the biggest cuddles, and asked questions to learn about Batten Disease and Ollie’s Army. Clearly moved, he wore an Ollie’s Army wristband during his concert that night to raise awareness of the disease.
As the Caroll Family pointed out, it truly is incredible the power of social media and its ability to make change in the world. Social media made Ollie’s wish come true, and it is still helping the family and countless others spread awareness about Batten’s Disease.
