A video of Demi Lovato reuniting with a Make-A-Wish recipient 13 years after they first met has left fans emotional.
On Wednesday, Make-A-Wish, an organisation that grants wishes to children with critical illnesses, shared a video to Twitter featuring Austen, a 23-year-old fan of Lovato’s, who first met the singer when she was battling kidney disease 13 years ago.
In the video, Austen introduced herself, before recalling how the foundation had granted her wish to meet Lovato in 2009. Austen then reflected on the experience, explaining that she hadn’t really known what to expect, as it had been her first time meeting a celebrity.
“Demi was incredible, I got a lot of cute pictures, and we were talking,” Austen recalled, adding that Lovato had then told her that they had heard Austen could sing, before asking her to sing for them. “They were like: ‘I hear that you sing. Can you sing for me?’ I’m like, ‘Alright.’ I’m a ham at this point,” Austen added.
In response to Lovato’s request, Austen said that she had sung This Is Me from Camp Rock, the 2008 Disney movie featuring Lovato.
“Demi’s like: ‘Oh, you’re really good!’ And I’m freaking out like: ‘One of my idols just said I’m a really good singer. That’s so cool!’” the 23 year old remembered.
At that point in the clip, Lovato proceeded to walk out from behind Austen and surprise her, prompting the former Make-A-Wish recipient to scream in excitement and hug the singer back.
“It’s so good to see you. You’re so grown now!” the 29-year-old Cool for the Summer singer could be heard telling Austen as they continued embracing. “You’re so grown and you have blue hair!”
After again telling Austen, who had begun to cry, that it was so good to see her, Lovato said the overjoyed reaction was going to make them cry as well.
“Oh my gosh, I remember your little pigtails,” Lovato continued as the pair looked at photos from their first meeting more than a decade earlier.
On Twitter, where the Associated Press also shared the video of the surprise reunion, fans have praised Lovato for the heartwarming gesture.
“This is awesome, they are the best,” one fan wrote, while another said: “So sweet, I’m crying.”
Someone else added: “I would absolutely cry if I met Demi. They’re so sweet.”
According to Make-A-Wish, Lovato, who has “personally granted nearly 30 wishes,” has partnered with the organisation ahead of its annual World Wish Day on Friday to spotlight the “positive impact wishes have on children with critical illnesses and their families”.
In a video shared in the nonprofit’s press release, the singer said: “Over the years, working with Make-A-Wish, I have seen how a spark of hope can ignite a world of possibilities for children with critical illnesses.”
Lovato also acknowledged how “physically exhausting” and “emotionally traumatic” the fight against a critical illness can be, before noting that “granting wishes can often help kids find light in the darkness of their circumstances”.
