Thomas Rhett brings 11-year-old cancer survivor on stage

Photo courtesy of WKBW

Eleven-year-old Madison Muckle of Albion, New York experienced a life-changing moment Friday night, but that’s not the first time for her.

Just five days after her third birthday, Madison went to the doctor for her checkup, her mother said she was acting a little out of the ordinary but it didn’t seem serious. After a few hours, multiple tests and procedures, the family received the news that Madison had cancer, acute lymphocytic leukemia to be exact.

Madison battled cancer for more than two years until her last treatment on April 10, 2013. She was officially a cancer survivor on April 10, 2018, five years after her final treatment and nearly eight years after her original diagnosis.

Fast forward to April 10, 2019, as a celebratory gift Madison’s mother Jamie surprised her with tickets to see Thomas Rhett at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center near Buffalo, New York.

Jamie said when Madison found out the news she was ecstatic, Thomas Rhett is one of her favorite musicians and she has even had a Thomas Rhett themed birthday party.

Photo courtesy of WKBW

On a warm and humid Friday night at Darien Lake that celebratory gift turned into a once in a lifetime moment for Madison.

She went to the concert with a sign that had boxes with checkmarks that read:

Look what God gave her

– Beat cancer
– Thomas Rhett concert
– Selfie with Thomas”

Photo courtesy of WKBW

Two of those boxes were already checked, and her mom says everyone sitting around them made it their mission to get the third box checked for her.

It worked, the country music star noticed her sign and pulled her on stage during the show, once she was on stage he asked for the camera to put her sign up on the screen so everyone could read it.

Rhett gave Madison a big hug and said, “Everybody this is Madison and she’s my new favorite human being on the planet.”

Photo courtesy of WKBW

The crowd roared for her. Rhett looked at her sign again and said, “We’re going to check all these off.”

He grabbed her phone and took a selfie with her and gave her another hug, as she left the stage he said, “I’m not crying you are.”

Jamie said she was so excited for Madison when she got pulled up on stage, and when she saw her cry she knew how much it meant to her.

Madison and her family now organize an annual “Madisonation” golf tournament which goes to support families impacted by childhood cancer. To learn more you can visit their website here.

Written by Anthony Reyes for WKBW.

Celebrities, Entertainment, News

About the Author
WKBW Buffalo

From our partners