Macklemore makes emotional visit to ailing fan in hospital
Rapper Macklemore dropped by a hospital in Vermont on Thursday (25Apr13) to visit an ailing university student who was too ill to attend his show.
The Thrift Shop hitmaker was in town for a performance at Saint Michael's College when he learned about the plight of a fan named Sam, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.
In a bid to cheer him up, the 29 year old, real name Ben Haggerty,
made a special trip to his bedside and even held a moment of
silence for Sam at his gig.
Opening up about the emotional experience in a post on his official
webpage, he writes, "When my girl told me about Sam's story and
that we would have some free time on Thursday, it was a no-brainer
to visit him in the hospital.
"The email we received was from one of Sam's friends who explained
the situation. Sam is in his junior year in college, and up until
last Friday his life was going great. He hadn't been feeling well
the last month, and went to the doctor to get some blood tests late
last week.
"The doctors got the results, sat him down, told him he had
leukemia and would immediately need to start chemotherapy in order
to hopefully beat the disease. Just like that.
"Sam's story resonated with me. I can't imagine being a healthy
kid, at the end of my junior year in college, and getting diagnosed
with leukemia. It's one of those stories that reminds you how
fragile life is, gives you a reality check on your own issues, and
make you appreciate the health of you and your loved ones more than
ever...
"I've done these types of hospital visits before, and sometimes
they can be a little awkward. What do you say to someone in Sam's
position? This is a complete stranger, who is going through a
life-altering trauma, abruptly disconnected to the world they once
knew. No amount of 'you'll get through this' pep talk seems
substantial enough. You want to say something that might leave a
lasting impression but the words aren't there. But when I first
shook Sam's hand I could tell he was connected. He's the type of
kid that immediately puts the room at ease. He makes eye contact
and speaks from his heart, not sugarcoating what he's going
through, but not feeling sorry for himself either."
And the rapper admits he got more out the hospital visit than his
fan did: "These types of experiences are important for me. They
bring me back to a place of gratitude and give life a tangible
value, beyond the instant gratification that my job provides. Being
a rapper is one of the most narcissistic careers in the world...
Fame suffocates the spirit and consumes you if you let it. You wake
up thinking about you, and go to bed thinking about you. That's not
a good place to be.
"With over 200 shows booked for the year, I barely get to see my
family and spend time with the people that remind me where I come
from and what's really important... In all honesty, it's the Sams
of the world and the situations they go through that give us
perspective on our own lives."