On Friday, band Florence And The Machine played a sold out show for their enthusiastic fans in Austin, Texas, but there was one person who was missing.
Fifteen-year-old Karinya has been living with malignant paraganglioma of the thoracic spine for four years and is currently in hospice care. She had tickets to attend the concert with her best friend, but doctors told her she was too sick to travel, even the short distance to the show.
Knowing how disappointed Karinya was to miss the show, the hospice staff got in touch with band frontwoman Florence Welch to see if she would be willing to do something special for their sweet patient. Amazingly, the singer said she would come visit Karinya and give her a private show!
The day after the concert, Welch, along with her guitarist, Rob Ackroyd, made a visit to Karinya’s room, which was packed with her family and friends. They performed two of their hit songs – “Shake It Out” and “Dog Days Are Over” – as Karinya sang along and her friends provided backup vocals.
In videos posted by Karinya’s mom and the hospice staff, it is clear Karinya and Welch shared a special connection and the time they spent together was incredibly meaningful to both of them. “Florence of Florence + The Machine is such a beautiful and kind soul!!” Karinya’s mother wrote. “She brought so much joy to all of us today. What a blessing!!”
In that moment, all of the pain and sadness melted away and Karinya was able to just revel in the moment with her favorite singer. “There were shrieks and squeals and so much joyous music and singing and tears of grief and joy and hope and love and utter devastation,” said nurse Christie Kramer. “And somehow simple kindness made everything better.”