For one night, Carey Heavner was able to forget reality and live the fairytale.
On Sunday, a Hummer limousine picked her up at her home in Fallston and spirited her away to Justin Bieber’s concert at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena.
“She had some surprises ahead of her,” said Carey’s mom, Kim Heavner.
The 11-year-old has been battling colon cancer since 2009, going through surgeries and chemo treatments in an attempt to rid her body of the disease. Last week, doctors discovered the cancer had returned for the second time, a mere eight weeks after Carey underwent a nearly 15-hour surgery.
Shortly after the cancer returned, Carey said she wanted to go home. One of the only things she requested, her mom said, was attending Justin Bieber’s concert with her best friend.
Carey cried when she learned she would get to meet the teen artist, her mom said.
“She was so excited and couldn’t wait to get there,” Heavner said. “She was first in line, she got to meet him first.”
Carey had pictures snapped of the two standing together, arms around each other’s shoulders, and Bieber signed autographs.
“She had a wonderful time,” Heavner said. “She danced and sang and just smiled all night long.”
Various people donated money so Carey could go shopping and buy a concert T-shirt. The limo was paid for anonymously.
“They didn’t want us to know,” Kim Heavner said. “Somebody purchased our tickets. I don’t know who did that, either. A lot of people made it happen for her.”
Heavner said they were out until 1 a.m., and her daughter loved every minute of it.
A beautician did Carey’s nails and hair before the concert, and her mom said Carey was “queen for the day.”
“For that one night, she didn’t have to think about anything but that concert,” she said. “That was the best thing about it, nothing else mattered. We had the best time ever.”
GASTON GAZETTE
