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11-Year-Old Fan Surprised by Drake at Hospital Gets Heart Transplant

Iโ€™m not a big Drake fan, but 11-year-old Sofia Sanchez is. Sofia also has cardiomyopathy, a condition she was diagnosed with this summer, which often results in heart failure. While she was at Lurie Childrenโ€™s Hospital in Chicago, where she was waiting on a heart transplant, Sofia participated in the โ€œIn My Feelingsโ€ challenge, posting…

Iโ€™m not a big Drake fan, but 11-year-old Sofia Sanchez is. Sofia also has cardiomyopathy, a condition she was diagnosed with this summer, which often results in heart failure. While she was at Lurie Childrenโ€™s Hospital in Chicago, where she was waiting on a heart transplant, Sofia participated in the โ€œIn My Feelingsโ€ challenge, posting a video of herself getting out of a wheelchair to dance along to Drake.

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โ€œI love your music and I was hoping that you could come and cheer me up for my birthday or anytime this week,โ€ she said in the video.

Well, it turns out Drake was listening. Last week, before his Chicago tour stop with Migos, Drake surprised Sofia at the hospital with a visit. The โ€œGodโ€™s Planโ€ rapper, who has four songs on Spotifyโ€™s โ€œTop Global Songs of the Summerโ€ list, shared the moment on Instagram.

โ€œMe and my love Sofia talking about Bieber and Owls and Basketball,โ€ Drake captioned the photo.

Of course, this isnโ€™t the first time Drake has surprised fans or been charitable with his time or money. According to Billboard, his first major act of charity happened in 2010, when he donated $30,000 to a Jamaican school. Since then, heโ€™s helped fund a Philadelphia high schoolโ€™s recording studio, helped raise money for Hurricane Harvey relief, and pledged $1 million to repair Torontoโ€™s basketball courts.

For Sofia, though, the story gets even better. Her second wishโ€”that she get a new heartโ€”was fulfilled this week. On Sunday, her mother told her that she would be getting a heart transplant (h/t Billboard). Sofiaโ€™s elated reaction was captured and shared on Instagram, where Drake was quick to offer his support.

โ€œYESSSS!!!! My love so happy for you,โ€ he responded.

Of course, cynics will say that this is a PR stuntโ€”a very nice, but very public act of goodwill. And part of me doesnโ€™t necessarily disagree. But when you boil it all down, the exchangeโ€”and the pure joy Sofia displaysโ€”is just a simple, sweet, and good thing in a news cycle that doesnโ€™t often give you those things. I may never be a Drake fan, but I can appreciate that much.

Sofiaโ€™s now recovering from her successful operation, which took place Monday morning.

Straight From The Root

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