Katy Perry deserves a pat on the back and bucket loads of good karma after making one of her young fan’s dream come true during the Australian leg of her Witness world tour. When the pop superstar took to the stage at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne on Sunday Night, Alyssa Kotsopoulos, a 14-year-old who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, was in the crowd. The Melbourne-born teenager, who is one of the singer’s biggest supporters, was gifted tickets to the concert as a birthday present and almost didn’t make it after falling ill with a respiratory infection. However, her mother Julieanne was determined to get her there to see her idol and it was definitely worth it. Not only did Katy spot Alyssa, she serenaded her during her performance of her uplifting anthem, Firework.
‘What a night,’ Julieanne wrote on Facebook on Monday. ‘Katy Perry spotted Alyssa when she was singing Firework and she was looking at her singing to her. So passionately and from the heart. We were all in tears on the floor.’ She added that toward the end of the song Katy ‘looked Alyssa directly in the eyes, touched her heart and bowed to her. I can’t stop crying. Alyssa can’t wipe the smile off her face.’ Before their night out, Julianne revealed the lengths she was going to to ensure that Alyssa got to see Katy in the flesh. Sharing a snap of Alyssa with all her respiratory equipment, she wrote: ‘Alyssa’s ready for Katy Perry.
Doing it solo tonight with Alyssa. More bags with machines than I have arms.’ And while the lead up to the show may have been challenging, it turned out to be an unforgettable night. According to Julienne, Alyssa is still overcome with joy every time she plays footage from the concert.
‘She smiles so big,’ Julieanne said. ‘It takes her back to the moment.’ She is now urging other concertgoers to forward any footage that they may have captured of that magical moment. The dedicated mum wrote in a follow up Facebook post: ‘Hopefully someone taped it, even if they were up in the seats in the back, on the side of the stage and catwalk.’
Earlier Katy Perry had gone to a fan who couldn’t go to her, after she was admitted to hospital for a brain tumour operation. The Firework singer sweetly visited Grace Moores after she caught wind the little fan wasn’t able to make her Adelaide show in Australia this week, simply dropping by the family home like it was no big thing. How’s that for a celebrity visit! It was reported by ABC in Australia that Grace was diagnosed with a six centimetre brain tumour in April, but had to go into an unplanned surgery last week – meaning she wouldn’t have been well enough to attend Katy’s show.
That just didn’t fly with Katy, who was keen to make sure her Kittykat got a hug in person after the eight-year-old’s plight went viral after her sister posted it online and it clocked more than 20,000 retweets. ‘RETWEET PLEASE!’ the post began. ‘My baby sister is meant to attend @katyperry concert in Adelaide this year but was diagnosed with a 6cm Brain tumour and has been battling all year, grace has love been Katy’s biggest fan since she was 3, please help us try and get in contact with @katyperry xx’
That message was heard loud and clear, and Tiana let fans know, who were following the story, that Katy made it. ‘GUYS WE DID IT!’ she wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. ‘@katyperry just visited grace! She’s truely amazing and such a sweet person this was truely amazing!’ The girls said the singer ‘sang three of her songs and look at our bedrooms’, with the singer sharing footage to her own Instagram account of the sisters trying on some tour merch. The girls’ mum Marie Moores said the little one wanted to be well enough to go to the show.