You know the band One Direction? The band that had millions of followers in 2012-2016? Well, I met one of the band members, Niall Horan. And the best part… I got to meet him in New York City! Oh yeah, and I got to meet him on the Jimmy Fallon show! How in the world did this happen?
Unfortunately, it took me getting cancer to do so. Back in May of 2016, I was diagnosed with glioblastoma, which is the worst possible type of brain cancer. I went through radiation and chemo immediately following my major brain surgery. I like to call it my worst summer ever. Sadly, I missed out on a lot of things.
In September of that same year, the Make-A-Wish crew came by my house to ask me what I wanted my wish to be. I was (and still am) a MAJOR fan of One Direction. I've gone to two of their concerts. I listened to all of their music. This was my one wish. This was my chance to meet one of my idols!
I told them my wish, that I wanted to meet Niall Horan. This wasn't just a random choice. I honestly did not care who I met from my favorite band. My mom and I knew that Niall went to Atlanta a ton to play golf and we just thought, "okay, it would be easy for us to just ride over there and hang out!" Well, the people of Make-A-Wish then asked me, "If there was one place you've always wanted to go…", and of course, I said New York City!
We waited for what had seemed like a lifetime to hear back from Make-A-Wish. It was my senior year. I was preparing for finals and graduation. Make-A-Wish called my mom. She came into my room bawling her eyes out. "Kaylee, we are meeting Niall! And we are going to New York City!" I cried tears of joy! Wow, this was actually happening! The funny thing is I had to skip graduation for it, but it was worth the trip! I said, "well I'll graduate from college eventually."
The night that we met Niall, I remember being super nervous. I had all the butterflies and knots in my stomach. I was about to meet my idol! I had never been in a limo before. So there it stood, a huge limo right outside our hotel. This was my night to shine!
We arrived at NBC's building, 30 Rockefeller Plaza. There were people lining the street, waiting for a chance to get into the show. We skipped the whole line and walked right into the building. It was so amazing getting to walk around. We rode the elevator up to the floor where the Jimmy Fallon show is filmed. They brought us to a room and had us sit down and wait. Everyone was super kind and made me feel like a star!
The show put together a basket for me. There were a few different Jimmy Fallon shirts and a water bottle! I was so nervous! After a few minutes, Jimmy Fallon himself came into the room! He was right there! I couldn't believe it! He gave me a huge hug and welcomed me to his show! It was such a surreal feeling.
Then he came in. Niall freaking Horan walked into the room. He looked right at me! I felt like I was dreaming. He gave me a huge hug and I was over the moon! It was such a fun experience. Jimmy took my mom's phone and took pictures of me and Niall. Niall took a seat on the small couch. I couldn't even sit down I was so nervous! He actually had to tell me to relax and take a seat next to him.
We chatted about his new music and that he had been drinking a lot of beers lately. He even lifted up his shirt to show me his beer gut. I mean even remembering it now feels like it was just a dream. Meeting Niall Horan was a once in a lifetime experience. I will cherish those moments forever!
Make-A-Wish is one of the greatest companies out there! They made TWO of my biggest dreams come true! I can't ever thank them enough for what they did for me. Let alone what they do every single day for precious children who are dealing with sickness.
