Zach Bryan is incredibly popular because his music resonates with his ever-growing fanbase. At the same time, he has taken time to build a relationship with those fans on social media and beyond. He has also gone out of his way to do big things for fans in need. At a recent stop on his Quittin’ Time Tour, Bryan made one chronically ill fan’s dreams come true.
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19-year-old Megan Pederson is a huge fan of Bryan’s music. She is also battling a rare disease called median arcuate ligament syndrome or MALS. The disease cuts off the blood supply to digestive organs, limiting their functionality. This means that even if Pederson eats through a feeding tube, her body doesn’t absorb the nutrients from the food. Additionally, it is an incredibly painful disease. “The pain is compared to stage four pancreatic cancer pain,” Pederson told TMJ4, a Milwaukee-based NBC affiliate.
[RELATED: Young Fan with Leukemia Gets Experience of a Lifetime Thanks to Zach Bryan]
Last week, Pederson attended Bryan’s concert at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She sat in the front row holding a sign that said meeting and taking a photo with Bryan were among her life goals. The singer/songwriter helped her check those things off her bucket list. Moreover, he gave her one of his guitars and invited her to hang out with him backstage after the show. Watch the interaction below.
Zach Bryan’s Dad Set Up the Meeting
MALS is a rare disease and few doctors know how to treat it. As a result, the Germantown, Wisconsin resident traveled to Oklahoma in 2023 to get treatment. While there, she attended one of Bryan’s concerts for the first time. While there, she met the singer/songwriter’s dad, Dwayne. “We had an instant connection,” Pederson told TMJ4.
Dwayne would keep in touch with Pederson, checking in on her regularly. Then, in November, he invited her to attend the concert in Milwaukee. The excitement for the event helped her push through the pain of her condition and gave her something to look forward to. “That countdown was once so big,” she recalled. “We didn’t know if I would make it another day, another week. We didn’t know if I would make it until Christmas, let alone the concert,” she added.
“Mentally, his music has gotten me through a hundred percent of my worst days,” Pederson said of Bryan’s impact on her life.
The average person can’t make Megan Pederson’s dreams come true or give her a signed guitar that she’ll cherish forever like Zach Bryan did. However, everyone can help the Pederson family offset the massive medical bills generated by treating her condition. For those who feel so inclined and have the ability to donate, her family is running a GoFundMe to help with medical and travel expenses.
Featured Image by Mindy Small/Getty Images
