Blake Shelton Invites 8-Year-Old Cancer Patient to Upcoming Concert

Blake Shelton might be one of the busiest artists in country music, but he still makes time for [...]

By Gayle Thompson

Blake Shelton might be one of the busiest artists in country music, but he still makes time for his fans -- especially eight-year-old Sammy Hodgett. The child, who is battling T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia, will get to meet his musical idol thanks to Shelton's generosity, along with some help from his mom, Becky Hodgett, and the rest of his family, who created a Facebook post earlier this year, to get Shelton's attention.

"I just can't believe it," Hodgett tells Yahoo. "He's this big star, and I feel like they don't always have time to look at that type of thing."

The little boy, who was diagnosed with leukemia three years ago, spent six weeks in a medically-induced coma, and had to relearn how to do everything, including walk and talk, during his recovery. Through it all, it was Shelton's music that he kept listening to, and kept inspiring him to keep trying. In fact, it was his recognition of Shelton's hit, "Boys Round Here," which became a turning point in his recovery.

"It's truly a miracle how far he's come and look at him you just would never know," his mom tells Illinois station, WQAD of her child, who still has seven months of chemotherapy left.

"When he would actually be like, 'I recognize that song,' it just [was] overwhelming," she adds.

Shelton, who invited the family to attend his concert in Moline, Ill., near their hometown, on Feb. 23, tweeted a special message to Sammy Hodgett.

"Hey Sammy!!! I can't wait to meet you buddy!!" the singer tweeted.

Shelton will be in Illinois as part of his Country Music Freaks Tour, with Brett Eldredge, Carly Pearce and Trace Adkins serving as his opening acts. A list of all of his upcoming shows is available on his website.

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