‘His dying wish’: Ed Sheeran makes terminally ill boy’s dreams come true

A terminally ill boy’s dream came true this week thanks to one, Ed Sheeran.

Six-year-old Ollie Carroll suffers with Batten Disease, a rare and degenerative condition, and is a huge Ed Sheeran fan. So he and his family made an appeal to the singer in the hopes of getting noticed. Well, Ed noticed and decided to invite Ollie and his family to meet him backstage before a recent gig in Manchester. Ed also took it one step further by wearing a red band in honour of Ollie’s Army, a campaign which aims to spread awareness of the rare disease and raises funds for equipment and research, on stage. “Ollie, who once knew all the words to Ed’s songs, who used to sing along, can no longer talk,” Ollie’s mother told Manchester Evening News. “Ollie who used to stand at the television watching Ed’s videos can no longer stand and see. The power of Ed’s voice has pulled Ollie Through the hardest and darkest of times.” Ollie has lost his speech, sight and ability to walk to the disease, and experts say his is unlikely to survive past the age of 12.

“As soon as Ed walked into the room and spoke Ollie’s eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face. This image was priceless. Ed spent time with Ollie and gave him the biggest of cuddles. “Last night, Ollie met his star, the man that taught him the power and love of music. As parents, we cannot thank Ed enough. Our dying boy wished to meet his hero, and that wish was granted.”