Hours before Coldplay rocks the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds on Tuesday, lead vocalist Chris Martin took time off to visit an avid fan at a hospital.
Ken Valiant Santiago, a medical student at the University of the Philippines-Manila suffering from stage 4 cancer, has been spending his days in the hospital bed playing Coldplay’s songs.
According to his older brother, Kheil, Ken’s favorite songs are “A Sky Full of Stars,” “Adventure of a Lifetime,” “Hymn for the Weekend,” and “Everglow.”
Due to his condition, however, Ken would not be able to see the concert tonight.
“He already turned over his platinum ticket to my younger brother. He does not show he is sad, he said it’s okay, but we can feel that he really wanted to be there,” said Kheil.
But a brother’s love never stops. The older Santiago wrote an open letter posted on Facebook asking for help to relay a simple request to Coldplay.
“I am sending you this open letter to ask a little favor if the band could just say ‘hi’ or a short message for him to make him feel better,” he wrote.
Thousands of hearts have been touched by Kheil’s letter. As of this writing, the post has already garnered over 2,500 reactions and 1,000 shares. He had no idea that Rhizza Pascua, the head of Music Management International, the organizer of the Coldplay concert in Manila, saw his post.
A few hours before their concert, Coldplay lead vocalist Chris Martin personally visited Ken at the hospital.
Although Ken was unable to talk because of his condition, Ken expressed his gratitude to the rocker through a small white board. “I can’t thank you enough,” he wrote.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Kheil said Martin asked Ken which Coldplay song he would like them to play in the concert.
“Sinabi ni Ken, “Ink” daw. True-blue fan daw talaga si Ken [sabi ni Martin],” he said.
(Ken said “Ink.” He is a true blue fan, Martin said.)
According to Kheil, Martin immediately texted his bandmates to practice the song, which they will include in the lineup tonight. He also gave Ken his cap, along with other Coldplay merchandise including a shirt, a bag, and a copy of the band’s latest album.
This story first appeared on ABS-CBN News and is re-published with permission.
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