Ed Sheeran is no stranger to sharing of himself in many ways, whether home or away, no matter how busy the schedule becomes for the superstar. He has literally given the clothes off his back for a good cause, turned a Canadian shopping stop at a mall into an unforgettable moment for another singing fan, and devoted time to countless more. Ten-year-old Melody Driscoll has proved her devotion to Ed Sheeran for a long time now, through some rough patches in life, and the composer let her know that she has a permanent place in his heart with a very special performance at the O2 Arena in London.
Perfect place, perfect song
Its been a very big week for Ed Sheeran. The ginger-haired musician who used to stand out as something of a misfit is starring in the new video for “Galway Girl” with stunning actress, Saoirse Ronan. The pair shares quite an adventure in the scripted tale for the song. Sheeran stabs a fellow with a dart, and he and Ronan set off through the streets of Galway on an adventure. The songwriter is even left with a forever memory of a tattoo given by Ronan.
Even with all the excitement, Ed Sheeran takes time to meet people of all ages who let him know that his music matters. Just last week, he met a six-year-old boy struggling with a terminal illness, and his time for Melody Driscoll was specifically orchestrated just to give her another dream come true.
Melody’s family felt that the crush and the fervor of a full concert performance might be too much for the girl, who has been in the hospital for most of her years. Sheeran offered a special concert “by request” for Melody, and he knew just what to play.
By request only
Melody was completely in charge of the selection of Ed Sheeran's four songs of this show, and why not?
When Ed Sheeran first met his smiling superfan, it was just before surgery last November at Epsom Hospital. Melody almost instantly started calling Sheeran “my boyfriend” after his kind response to mom's online appeal to reach the artist for an in-person meeting. Melody has Rett Syndrome, which limits her ability to walk, talk, and use her hands.
The condition also makes her highly susceptible to infection, but these face-to-face minutes were purely healing, and Ed read her cues perfectly from the stage. Not even a cast from a broken leg stopped the smiles between the solid friends, and of course, Sheeran signed it as another keepsake. He signed her wheelchair, too. Melody presented him with a yarn-knitted doll in his image, complete with fluffy carrot top! The moments could not have been more special for this “second date.”
There are no words that can convey how special Ed Sheeran is to Melody. “I've got no doubt in my mind that she wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Ed,” her mom said. His music is a constant for the little girl through surgeries, hospital stays, and pain.
It's clear that he lifts her "out of body" with beautiful melodies and moments.
There's no word yet regarding when their next "date" is planned, but Ed Sheeran has Melody Driscoll permanently penned in his heart.
