Luke Bryan helped make the memory of a lifetime for a young fan with terminal brain cancer, meeting 7-year-old Mary Stegmueller at his concert at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Saturday night.
Mary was diagnosed with DIPG (Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma), a rare type of pediatric terminal brain cancer, at four years old, fighting past doctor’s expectations of six to nine months and undergoing radiation, clinical trials and multiple brain surgeries over the past three years.
The “But I Got A Beer In My Hand” Singer Granted 7-Year-Old’s Dying Wish
Country music and Luke Bryan have been a source of support for Mary, and her wish to meet the singer was granted when someone connected to the Archdiocese of Denver and former Nuggets player and announcer Bill Hanzlik donated a private suite at Ball Arena to Mary’s family for the night so that she could attend Bryan’s show.
As Mary is immunosuppressed and cannot stand for long durations, she could not attend the show in general admission seating.
Briefly Met In 2021
Mary and Bryan had met briefly in 2021 after a concert, when the singer gave Mary a quick hug. But this time, Mary was hoping for a conversation. A few days before the show, FOX 31 shared her wish and it caught the attention of Bryan, who invited Mary backstage for a meet and greet before the concert.
“Now she feels they’re BFFs,” Mary’s mom, Kristin Stegmueller, had told FOX 31. “And she’s like ‘I want to see him, but he also needs to come see me.’ So, she’s also hoping to see him up close and personal just because he’s made her so happy.”
When show day arrived, Stegmueller posted a video to Facebook of herself with an excited Mary in a limo on the way to the arena, the pair telling the camera that they were on the way to see Bryan.
Mary Met Luke Bryan, Making For An Unforgettable Moment
The meet and greet took place as promised, and Stegmueller documented the experience in an album of photos on Facebook, which include snaps of Mary hanging out with Bryan, both smiling as they posed on a black leather couch with other members of Mary’s family.
The show itself also featured plenty of moments to remember as well as another visitor, with Stegmueller’s photos showing that opener Tyler Braden stopped by the suite to say hello to Mary.
“She just kept getting up to dance,” Stegmueller recalled to CBS News Colorado. “When she met [Bryan] he started to sing one of his songs to her and she tried to pop up to dance and she was legitimately swooning in his arms.”
“You never know how much time you have and we just want to be able to look back and remember all this time we’ve had,” she said.
The family added that Mary had the best night at the show and that they are thankful for the opportunity of a lifetime. Mary begins radiation again on Monday and will undergo 12 days before returning to clinical trials.
Luke Bryan’s Country On Tour, Returns to Las Vegas
Bryan’s Country On Tour runs through October 28 in Charleston with rotating openers including Braden, Chayce Beckham, Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, Jon Langston, Conner Smith, Alana Springsteen and Hailey Whitters.
During a break from the trek, the country star will return to Las Vegas for a series of dates of his Luke Bryan: VEGAS residency at Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas before heading out on his annual Farm Tour through the month of September with support from Kameron Marlowe, Chayce Beckham, the Peach Pickers and DJ Rock.
