Back in July, a mysterious donor made a dream come true for Mary Stegmueller, a 7-year-old Luke Bryan superfan who's been battling terminal brain cancer since age 4. Stegmueller wanted to attend Bryan's July 29 concert in Denver, Col., but because she's immunocompromised and cannot stand for long periods of time, that plan seemed impractical.
"I knew it wasn't going to happen, but I was praying that it would. Because I knew she really, really, really wanted to go," Stegmueller's mother Kristin told Fox 31.
So, someone donated an entire suite to Stegmueller's family and friends. While at the Country On tour stop, Stegmueller hoped to reconnect with Bryan, whom she'd met and hugged in 2021 and received a Christmas video message from last December.
"Now she feels they're BFFs," Kristin added. "And she's like 'I want to see him, but he also needs to come see me.' So, she's also hoping to see him up close and personal just because he's made her so happy."
When Bryan learned that Stegmueller was in the house, his crew invited hers to a backstage meet-and-greet and photo session, as chronicled by Denver ABC affiliate KDVR.
Bryan's Country On Tour began June 15 and lasts through the end of October. Supporting acts on select dates include Chayce Beckham, Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, Tyler Braden, Jon Langston, Conner Smith, Alana Springsteen, Hailey Whitters and DJ Rock.
It's one of three overlapping Bryan tours. His Las Vegas residency at Resorts World, which began in 2022 and resumed from Feb. 1- April 1, reconvenes for six dates that land between Aug. 30- Sept. 9.
His five-date Farm Tour returns Sept. 14-23 and hits rural towns in Kentucky and the Midwest. Each show raises funds to benefit the local economy and send area students from farming families to college though scholarships.