Most of us at some time or another have looked forward with intense anticipation to finally seeing a favorite band or musician live in concert. Maybe the tickets had to be obtained months in advance; maybe they were expensive or hard to find. Many a fan has counted down the days to the big concert. So imagine if illness got in the way…
For Garth Brooks fan Theresa Shaw, it was small little illness that threatened to interfere with her plans to see the country music sensation at the Target Center in Minneapolis. She was in the thick of a battle with stage 3 breast cancer. She underwent chemotherapy the morning of the concert but despite that ordeal and all the terrible side effects, she wasn’t going to let it stop her from seeing Garth Brooks.
At one point during his performance, during the song “The Dance,” Brooks himself noticed Theresa Shaw and the sign she was holding: CHEMO THIS MORNING. GARTH TONIGHT. ENJOYING THE DANCE. The singer made his way over and sat on the edge of the stage in front of her, continuing the performance as if it was just for her. He held her hands, gave her a kiss, and most extraordinarily of all, gave her his guitar! In exchange, he kept her sign. He also told her, “You have all my strength, you have everybody’s strength in here, and you go kick cancer’s ass!”
Better still, Shaw’s cancer was subsequently sent into remission. Naturally, she celebrated by attending another Garth Brooks concert, this time holding a sign that read: I KICKED CANCER’S ASS. STILL ENJOYING THE DANCE.
Are you a Garth Brooks fan or do you at least appreciate what he did for this fan who was battling cancer? We’d love to hear from you in the comments at Facebook. Don’t forget to like and share this inspiring story!