BRANDON, MANITOBA
Jasmine Jervis never thought when she posted a video to Facebook of her daughter Scarlett that it would lead to the young girl having a face-to-face meeting with her favorite singer Ed Sheeran.
“I had no idea what would happen,” said Jervis who is formerly from St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, but now makes her home in Brandon, Manitoba, “I’ve never done anything like that before, but we had read that he has met many of his fans who have big life struggles, so we thought, why not?”
In the video Scarlett, who recently celebrated her sixth birthday, said her birthday wish was for Ed Sheeran to be in her house singing his hit song “Perfect”.
She had also said she would like to get a hug from Sheeran.
Although Sheeran did not perform in her home in Manitoba, the young girl was able to get a hug from her favorite musician during a meet and greet backstage after the family drove nine hours to attend the concert in Minneapolis at the US Bank Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 20.
“The video was received by his manager,” Jervis explained. “With all the attention it received, it landed in his lap and got his (Sheeran’s) attention too, and they were kind enough to make it happen.”
Jarvis said Scarlett’s face lit up when she saw Sheeran waiting to meet her before the show.
“I’ve never seen her so excited,” she said. “She was asking questions and hugging him, all at the same time.”
Scarlett said it was great having the opportunity to meet Sheeran face-to-face, “because I love Ed Sheeran,” she said in a video message to The Southern Gazette from her home in Brandon.
“He’s a really good singer,” Scarlett added.
When asked how she felt about having the opportunity to meet him she enthusiastically replied, “Happy, shocked, surprised and smiley.”
Staying positive
At two-months-old, after recovering from her first open heart surgery, Scarlett was diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome. Jervis and her husband Kyle were devastated by the news.
“We knew she would live a life full of hospitals, therapies, and surgeries — we knew that road would not be easy,” Jervis told The Southern Gazette via social media Messenger.
“We nearly lost her during her first heart surgery, so to think of more surgeries and procedures was terrifying,” her mother said. “Today, she can become a little frustrated at times, especially when it comes to her physical weaknesses, but she keeps an incredible spirit. She usually has the doctors laughing before leaving her appointments.”
Jervis credits music for keeping her daughter positive, adding that she often turns to her iPod when feeling down.
She added that her daughter also enjoys learning about the artist, their lives, their struggles.
“She found out that Ed Sheeran had a severe stutter as a child and how he learned to overcome it,” explained Jervis. “She also has speech difficulties due to the stroke, so she really connected over that.”
Thankful parents
In a post about the meeting on Facebook on Oct. 21, Jervis wrote she could not thank Sheeran enough, “…for making my little girl’s actual dreams come true.”
She ended the post by saying, “We are driving home with bursting hearts and we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful experience. Through any upcoming appointments, procedures and surgeries, I’ll be showing her pictures and videos of this weekend to help keep her spirits high — and maybe ours too.”
What is CHARGE syndrome?
Information from the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation website describes it as a recognizable genetic syndrome with known pattern of features.
It is an extremely complex syndrome and can involve both extensive medical and physical difficulties that can differ from child to child.
Babies with CHARGE syndrome are often born with life-threatening birth defects and many spend months in the hospital and undergo many surgeries and other treatments. Swallowing and breathing problems make life difficult even when they come home. Most have hearing loss, vision loss, and balance problems that delay their development and communication.
Despite these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, children with CHARGE syndrome often far surpass their medical, physical, educational and social expectations.
