Bryan Adams fans raise 10k for cancer patient
Bryan Adams has thanked his fans for raising £10,000 for a young cancer patient during one of his gigs.
The ‘Summer of ’69’ hitmaker made an appeal during his show in Canterbury, Kent, South East England, on Saturday (13.08.16) to help 16-year-old Kelly Turner raise the funds to go to New York for an operation, and had buckets passed around the audience at the Spitfire Ground as he performed his 1991 hit single ‘Everything I Do (I Do It For You)’, which he dedicated to the teenager.
Speaking on stage, he said: "So this is the deal, she [Kelly] is raising money to have an operation in New York. They have raised £100,000 so far, but they need to raise a lot more.
"So if you give as much as you can, that’s all I’m asking. This next song is dedicated not only to her and her family, but to all of you and your generosity tonight."
And the delighted singer, 56, later took to Instagram to show off the generosity of his fans.
Sharing a picture of a bucket, which was stuffed with banknotes, he wrote: "People power! Last night we did something different at the Canterbury concert. We passed a bin around between the audience and the band, and spontaneously raised around £10,000 pounds for 16 year old Kelly Turner who is suffering from a rare form of cancer.
"The bin came back twice! I’m so proud of the audience tonight. Special thanks to the security at the gig who volunteered to go into the crowd and follow the collection."
Kelly – who was given two years to live last October after being diagnosed with a rare desmoplastic small round cell tumour – said she was "overwhelmed with love" by the Canadian rocker’s gesture.
She wrote on Facebook: "I’m amazed by the kindness and donations we received today at the Bryan Adams’ Concert.
"We know that 5000 pounds+ was raised!! My heart is warm with love. Thank you Bryan Adams."
The teenager, who lives in Kent, is hoping to raise over £1 million to undergo potentially life-saving treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York.