Real Stories
Patient’s ‘Dream’ to Meet Stevie Nicks Comes True
Dawn is a 55-year-old Rainbow hospice patient who has been a lifelong fan of Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac.
Dawn’s dream surfaced on a difficult day as she confided in her hospice nurse, Patti Dean, about her feelings towards death. To calm her, Patti played Dawn’s favorite song, “Landslide,” which inspired Dawn to post on Facebook about her dream to see Stevie Nicks in concert. Dawn’s friend Kelly saw the post and bought tickets for the two of them to Stevie Nicks at her Ravinia concert on September 9, 2017.
Dawn’s chaplain, Jennifer Bradshaw, wanted to help Dawn meet Stevie Nicks. She discovered the Dream Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides “dreams” to terminally ill adults.
Jennifer helped Dawn fill out an application and write a letter to the Dream Foundation requesting to meet Stevie Nicks at the concert. Writing the letter helped Dawn come to terms with her disease, and her mortality. Throughout this emotional moment she was supported by her care team, including Jennifer, Patti, and social worker Sharon Rieman.
When they completed the application in May, Dawn’s interdisciplinary team didn’t know whether she would live to attend the concert. The Dream Foundation made other offers, but Dawn was unwavering in her dream. Finally, just two days before the concert, the Dream Foundation called—Dawn and Kelly’s tickets had been upgraded to VIP, and they would get to meet Stevie Nicks!
Dawn got to watch the show from VIP seats, which was especially important since she has cancer-associated retinopathy, and has lost much of her sight as a result. The final encore song was “Landslide.”
After the concert, a bodyguard ushered Dawn and Kelly backstage, where they were greeted by Stevie Nicks. They took pictures, shared stories, and played with Stevie’s four dogs (both Dawn and Stevie love animals). Dawn said that, “Stevie would have kept us there all night.”
Stevie gifted Dawn a 24-carat gold replica of her signature crescent moon-shaped necklace. She also called Dawn her “moon sister.”
“All my life, Stevie Nicks has been an inspiration to me, with her voice and her music,” said Dawn. “Meeting her gave me hope.”
This life-changing experience was made possible by Jennifer, Patti, Sharon, and the rest of Dawn’s hospice care team, as well as the Dream Foundation. Thanks to their willingness to go above and beyond, Dawn had the chance to live her dream.
