Eminem made dying teen’s final wish come true by catching last minute flight to be at his bedside hours before he passed away
He has built a career on his angry me-against the world reputation, but Eminem showed his softer side when he visited a terminally ill Detroit teenager on Sunday.
Dashing in on a flight from Atlanta to his hometown, Eminem arrived at the house of Gage Garmo around 5pm and the two sat down and spoke about their love of hip hop and the Detroit Lions.
Tragically, Gage, who has been battling Osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer, passed away on Monday night, but his family praised Eminem for granting their son a special last wish.
Gage’s mother Tina, father, Ghais and his younger sister described the moment the two met as ‘very special and very quiet at the same time.’
The two spent two hours together and the rapper left just before 8pm as quietly as he arrived.
‘It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen,’ said said Ingrid Todt of charity, Rainbow Connection, who arranged the meeting to the Detroit Free Press. ‘The stars aligned, and Gage’s wish came true.’
Eminem requested only one condition of their meeting – that no media were present as he didn’t want media swarming the Garmo household.
According to the Detroit News, Eminem hid his car in the Garmo family’s garage, but when the Rainbow Connection revealed the meeting afterwards on social media, word got out.
Friends and classmates of the one-time high school footballer, had used social media to spread Gage’s wish to meet 51-year-old Eminem, his musical hero, after he learned last week that he had just days left to live.
Heroic: Gage Garmo met rap superstar Eminem on Sunday evening and sadly passed away on Monday
Family: Gage with his father Ghais and mother Tina Garmo and his younger sister, during his three-year battle with cancer
They started the hashtag, #GetGageGarmoToMeetEminem and the rapper duly stepped up to visit the sick teen, whose family live 20 minutes from the star’s house.
‘Gage sat up with a grin on his face,’ said Todt. ‘His family hadn’t seen their son do that in such a long time.’
Gage was diagnosed with bone cancer three years ago, when he was a freshman at Rochester High School.
‘We’re so glad we were able to reach Eminem’s people and they were able to respond, and Eminem was able on such short notice to go and see this boy in his own home,’ said Rainbow Connection director Mary Grace McCarter to the Detroit Free Press.
‘It says something about everybody, really. I hope all the students and friends of Gage feel good about their well-wishes too.’
Superstar: Eminem arrived at Gage’s house amid tight secrecy and did not want the visit publicized beforehand
Bravery: Sports fan Gage poses with a big smile on his face alongside a girl from Hooters, while he stands side-by-side one of his heroes from the Detroit Lions
Tribute: When it became clear that Gage had only days left to live, his friends banded together to tell him what they thought
Remembrance: On Monday night after his death, Gage’s friends held a candlight vigil for their brave friend
According to his GoFundMe page, Gage was diagnosed with cancer in his freshman year and battled it with multiple rounds of chemotherapy and surgery.
He had his leg amputated last year and his cancer turned terminal when it passed to his lungs and began to shut down his body.
Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett posted on Facebook, “A young life was taken from our community way too soon and it will never make sense. Our city mourns while sending our thoughts and prayers to the Garmo family.”
“Gage’s legacy in this community is secure. His amazing friends made sure of that. Courageous, hero and fighter’ (are) all words he earned right up until his final moments.”
Throughout his treatment and fight against cancer, Gage has become an inspiration for his Rochester Hills school classmates.
‘Gage was probably my biggest inspiration this year,’ said football player Blake Fetterhoff to Rochester Hills Patch.
‘We have helmet stickers with our numbers on them (football helmets) and I put his number 32 under my number on my helmet. He probably got me through this season. I couldn’t see this season without him.’
