Teen with stage 4 cancer gets wish, meets J.Cole
WASHINGTON (FOX 46 WJZY) - A teen with stage four cancer finally got his wish when he was able to meet one of his favorite rappers, thanks to his dad and a little social media magic.
When Collin, a 13-year-old from Ohio, was diagnosed with stage four rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, back in March he was referred to the Make-A-Wish program. His wish: To meet J.Cole.
But it can often take some time to have those wishes granted, so Collin's dad, Robert, decided to take matters into his own hands.
Robert, also a fan of J.Cole, had taken Collin to one of his concerts back in 2015. After the show, they happened to meet Bas, another artist on tour with Cole, and snapped a picture.
It was that picture that Robert used to tweet at Bas, asking him to help fulfill Collin's wish.
The very same day, Bas tweeted back at Robert, telling him "check your DMs champ."
Bas is back on tour with J.Cole and told Robert they would make it happen. Robert says he and Collin were both crying when they got the message.
"It was just unbelievable," says Robert. He chose the concert that was closest to their home and on Saturday, dad, mom, Collin and his three siblings all headed to Washington, D.C. to attend J.Cole's Aug. 8 show.
When they arrived at the venue on Tuesday they were escorted in by Bas's private security, given the V.I.P. treatment and loaded up with some free swag.
After the show, they headed backstage where Collin finally got to meet J.Cole. Robert says they talked for about an hour.
While there, Robert says Collin commented on Cole's shoes which Cole proceeded to take off, sign and hand over to Collin on the condition that he fight hard to beat his cancer.
Robert also says Collin told Cole that his music has been inspirational for him and helped him get through this difficult time, to which Cole responded "no, you inspire me." Collin broke down in tears.
Robert says the experience "far exceeded anything I could have imagined. Especially for me as a father, to be able to give my son the one thing he wanted."
Collin has to undergo a total 54 weeks of chemotherapy. He's just started another six-day treatment and Robert says the trip has really helped give him some more energy.