Life With MND
Esther
After discovering I had MND, I contacted a charity called the Willow Foundation to see if they could arrange a meeting between me and Bon Jovi.I have always been a lifelong fan of the band, and the Willow Foundation helps organise special days for seriously ill young adults.
I was delighted when they arranged four tickets for me to see Bon Jovi perform at the Milton Keynes Bowl on 11 June, but there were no promises that I could meet the man himself.
Then four days before the concert, I received word that I was going to meet Jon. I was soooooo excited!
The big day arrived, and my sister Anneka, my cousin Mandy and a very dear friend Julie who I met at my first Bon Jovi concert ten years ago, were chauffeur driven to Milton Keynes Bowl. As we headed towards the VIP car park everyone was trying to see who was behind the blacked out windows. We felt like celebrities!
Backstage, we met up with a member of Bon Jovi's management team, who shook all our hands, asked our names and said: "Are you ready?” I replied, I think so” and off we went.
We rounded a corner and were told to have a seat. Well…I just stood there mouth open as I spotted the guitarist Richie about ten feet away.
Now for the best bit…my dream come true. We were asked to go into the hospitality tent, where the bassist Hugh, drummer Tico and Richie were sitting at a table. This is when it dawned on me that I was about to meet the whole band and not just Jon.
Richie walked over, took my hand and said: "Hi Esther pleased to meet you,” then kissed me on the cheek. We started chatting when I suddenly became aware of someone standing next to me.
I turned round and there stood Jon. Well, that was it! Talk about weak at the knees! It was a good job I was sitting down! I just said: "Oooh hello” and Jon took my hand and said: "Hi Esther, it's a pleasure to meet you.” Then he leant forward and kissed me on the cheek. I could have cried.
Jon asked me how I was, and can you believe that I said to the Rock God himself: "I'm knackered. I had to walk a long way to meet you but I'm ok.” I went on to tell him how excited I was to meet him and I showed him my smirk tattoo from the Bon Jovi album 'Have a Nice Day'. He asked if it was real and when I said yes, he touched it and said it was cool.
Then David and Tico both came over said "Hi” and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Hugh did the same, except I got a kiss on the lips!
They all then signed things that we had taken with us, including my jacket with a cross stitch of Jon on the back that I started but was unable to complete because of the bloomin' MND, but a friend had finished it for me. Jon gave us a personalised fully signed programme and two t-shirts and then said: "Well I've gotta go, I've got a job to do - a show to put on. You have a fantastic time tonight.”
Well that was it. My dream come true. The concert was great, although I watched in a complete state of shock. My last surprise was when I saw David and Hugh wearing MND wristbands that I had previously sent to the band.
The day was amazing and nothing will ever compare or come close. A BIG THANKS to everyone who helped make it happen!
