Country Music Superstar Rodney Atkins To Perform A Very Special Concert

Rodney Atkins is one of the reasons why I have become a huge country music fan over the last few years. Yes, I like his music, but more than that, he's a good guy who's trying to make a difference in the world. Case in point is this story from GACTV.com.

Rodney is going to be performing a very special concert to benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation in honor of a little girl named Maddie. Maddie recently lost her battle with bone cancer at age 7. But, before she died, Rodney got to spend some time with her. How he came to do that is pretty special. Rodney read an article in the Detroit Free Press about Maddie, and in the article, Maddie mentioned that Rodney's song, If You're Going Through Hell, was her favorite song. Rodney was so moved that he booked a flight the next day to Detroit to see the little girl. He spent over five hours with her. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Rodney visited Maddie at the hospital and sat on her bed and colored with her. They watched television, and when she got tired, he sang to her, strumming his guitar.

"I'm thankful I got to meet her," he said. "She had such a spark in her eye. She was hurting really bad. It was shocking, sitting with Maddie. She was asking for the drugs by name. A 7-year-old should not know what morphine is. It was horrific."

Rodney visited on one condition: He didn't want any media attention. He wanted all of his energy to be devoted to Maddie.

"He spent, like, five hours with her," Paul said. "He told me his plan was to come and stay with her until she was absolutely out of energy. He was staying until she tuckered out. I was really impressed with the man. He had a big heart."

When Maddie went home to die, an autographed picture of Rodney was stuck to the wall, above her pillow.

"Maddie blessed me," Rodney said. "I can't imagine what Paul is dealing with. This [concert] is his way of keeping Maddie alive, trying to make something good out of something horrible. This little girl, Maddie, is living forever."

The world needs more musicians, celebrities and normal people like Rodney. If we were all more concerned with others than ourselves, the world would be a much better place to live, don't you think?

If you haven't heard Rodney's song, If You're Going Through Hell, here's the music video. Make it a great day!



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