Ed Sheeran has made one young fan’s dreams come true by arranging a special meet and greet experience at a recent gig in the UK.
The ‘Shape of You’ singer heard of the plight of six-year-old Ollie Carroll, who has a rare degenerative condition known as Batten Disease, and promptly reached out to invite the youngster and his family to come backstage at his Manchester show.
Ollie – joined by mum Lucy, Dad Mike, siste Amelia and brothers Micky and Danny – “lit up” when he met Ed, his mum revealed.
“Ollie, who once knew all the words to Ed’s songs, who used to sing along, can no longer talk. Ollie who used to stand at the television watching Ed’s videos can no longer stand and see. The power of Ed’s voice has pulled Ollie through the hardest and darkest of times,” she said.
“As soon as Ed walked into the room and spoke Ollie’s eye lit up and a smile spread across his face. This image was priceless. Ed spent time with Ollie and gave him the biggest of cuddles, he had high fives with Amelia who was completely in love and couldn’t stop staring at him.
“Ed is one of the loveliest guys we have ever met, he asked us to explain Batten Disease and Ollie’s Army. He was truly saddened by our journey. To us, last night Ollie wasn’t meeting a star, he was meeting ‘his’ star, he was meeting the man that taught him the power and love of music.
“As parents we can not thank Ed, his team and every single person who shared Ollie’s video enough. Our dying boy wished to meet his hero, that wish was granted.”
According to the Batten Disease Support and Research Association Batten Disease is a lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) characterised by genetic mutations which disrupt the cells’ ability to dispose of wastes. It can lead to seizures, visual impairment, personality and behaviour changes, dementia and the loss of motor skills.
Ollie’s sight, speech and ability to walk have all been affected by the condition; with doctors saying it’s unlikely he will survive past the age of 12. After receiving the devastating news of his diagnosis, Ollie’s parents created a wish list for their boy – and meeting Ed Sheeran was at the top of that list.
The family first came to public attention earlier this year after they launched an appeal on social media asking for Ed to meet Ollie, alongside a video showing the six-year-old singing along to his favourite Ed Sheeran songs.
Tragically, Ollie’s three-year-old sister Amelia has also been diagnosed with Battens.
The family have launched a charity campaign called Ollie’s Army, which aims to raise awareness and funds for the battle against the disease.
After meeting Ollie, Ed took to the stage to perform wearing a red band promoting Ollie’s Army in front of thousands of fans.
“We are so touched that Ed thought of our little boy whilst performing last night. It felt like Ollie was up there performing with him, something that sadly Ollie will never be able to achieve,” the family later wrote on the campaign’s Facebook page.
“We are so proud that Ed has shown his support not only to our family but has helped to spread the awareness of this disease for all children with Batten Disease.”
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