Lainey Wilson gave a young fan a moment she'll never forget.
Videos by Wide Open Country
While touring in Australia, the "Somewhere Over Laredo" singer met a young fan named Tessa. She was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma in late 2023. It tragically returned last year.
Wilson shared Tessa's inspirational story at a recent show. We have all the details below.
Tessa Loves Lainey Wilson
We've covered Samuel Weidenhofer's work before. Back in December, he not only gave an 88-year-old Army veteran from Brighton, Michigan, a $400 tip for packing his groceries at a local store, but he also set up a GoFundMe that raised over $1 million to help him retire comfortably.
Weidenhofer recently paid a visit to Tessa. Not only did he give her mom $500 to help with her treatment, but he also gave Tessa tickets to Wilson's show and an opportunity to meet the singer. When Weidenhofer asked Tessa what she would like to say to Wilson, she replied, "I love her."
Tessa Became the "Cowgirl of the Night"
Tessa then met Wilson backstage, and as you may know, she has a way with young fans.
"Oh my goodness, girl, you've got it going on," she tells Tessa. "We're going to have the time of our life tonight. I do this thing called 'Cowgirl of the Night,' I bring a cowgirl up onstage. Do you want to do that?"
When a fan is chosen to be "Cowgirl of the Night," they receive a hat and also recite the singer's mantra:
"I am beautiful. I am smart. I am talented. I can do anything. I am Cowgirl of the Night!"
Those are pretty powerful words, especially coming from someone as tough as Tessa.
"There's a lot of cowgirls here tonight, but I met a very, very special cowgirl," said Wilson. "She is one of the toughest little girls that I have ever met. Her name is Tessa."
Tessa's mom is pretty tough, too. At the beginning of the video, she explained to Weidenhofer that she is raising money Tessa so she can receive treatment in the United States.
"We are just scrambling trying to find stuff that's gonna work," said Tessa's mom. "We are actually aiming to hopefully go to America now... still about $500,000 at least. We wouldn't be doing this if we had something here that we could do."
She adds, "But it is what it is. We've gotta give it a crack... Moms are meant to be able to fix everything. This is not just a scratch on the knee."
The fundraiser is almost halfway to its $750,000 goal. If you would like to donate, click here. You can see Tessa and Wilson in the clip below. Just make sure you have Kleenex handy.
