'She couldn't believe it, she was crying': Teen cancer patient gets surprise video message from Billie Eilish
Singer offered Kamryn Exley, 13, encouraging words after reading about her battle with leukemia on Instagram
A 13-year-old leukemia patient from B.C. got a surprise from one of her favourite musicians last week.
Kamryn Exley was ecstatic after her parents showed her a video of Billie Eilish offering words of encouragement before the teen's upcoming bone marrow transplant.
The singer sent the message after seeing a post on Instagram from Kamryn's elder sister, asking the Grammy Award-winning artist to visit or send a message her way.
"It got shared over 30,000 times," said Kamryn's mother Carrie Exley.
"One of my friends knew someone in California who posted her little story on Facebook ... and somebody she knew knew Billie's mom. It's just a small world, it's crazy."
Exley said Kamryn was ecstatic when they showed her the video in her hospital bed.
"She was so happy she couldn't believe it, she was crying," she said. "She was really getting depressed and losing her little personality, so it was really good to see her so happy."
Watch Kamryn's reaction upon seeing the message from Billie Eilish:
Kamryn was first diagnosed with leukemia when she was nine years old. After initially spending 2½ years fighting the disease, she is now battling a relapse, Exley said.
She is scheduled for a bone marrow transplant at B.C. Children's Hospital in the coming weeks. Kamryn's first donor was excluded due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
She is also dealing with two blood infections, which her mother said has made it an especially challenging time.
Kamryn had been looking forward to seeing Eilish in concert in Vancouver on April 11 but her relapse meant she would have to miss out, her sister said in her Instagram post. Eilish's tour dates have since been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kamryn has recorded a short thank-you message that she hopes will make its way back to Eilish. Her mother said she has viewed the musician's video "over a thousand times."