Ed Sheeran gave one young fan and his family a night to remember at his Manchester concert last week.
Six-year-old Ollie Caroll suffers from a rare illness called Batten Disease. The illness has robbed him of his ability to walk, speak, and see -- but before the disease took his speech, Ollie loved singing along with his favorite singer, Ed Sheeran.
Since becoming ill, Ollie has had a wish list and meeting Ed Sheeran was at the top. The Caroll family started an online campaign on the Ollie's Army Facebook for Ollie to meet his hero.
In a Facebook post, they wrote, "Since Ollie was a tiny toddler, he was singing and dancing to Ed Sheeran's songs around the house and every time we got in the car! Ollie can't sing anymore, Batten Disease has taken that from him. But he still listens to Ed Sheeran all the time... It would be incredible if we could tick off this part of Ollie's wish list."
The social media campaign caught the attention of the singer who invited the family to attend one of his concerts.
The Caroll family shared photographs of the heartwarming meeting between Ollie and Ed.
"As soon as Ed walked into the room yesterday and spoke, Ollie's eye lit up and a smile spread across his face," said the Caroll family. "Ed spent time with Ollie and gave him the biggest of cuddles."
That night, Ed performed sporting an Ollie's Army wristband to raise awareness for Batten Disease.
The family was touched by the kindness and generosity of Ed and his team.
"We never thought this would happen and through the power of social media it has," they wrote. "Our dying boy wished to meet his hero, last night that wish was granted."
