An 8-year-old girl with leukemia had a dream come true when she met country music star Luke Bryan.
Olivia Bensinger was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a blood cancer, on Nov. 29, 2012, at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital after going to another hospital for an eye infection, said her mother, Lisa Bensinger.
The North Manheim Township girl, who is in third grade at Blue Mountain Elementary West, met Bryan on Aug. 30 at the Allentown Fair.
"I can't believe it. I got to meet him. It was the best thing," she said.
It was also her first time seeing Bryan in concert.
Olivia said she had a good time at the concert.
"She was standing up in the seat singing every song," Lisa Bensinger said.
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came about with the help of others.
Bob and Diane Greene, owners of Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., Schuylkill Haven, found out about Olivia through a relative and gave her the tickets to Bryan's concert.
With the help of others, she also met Bryan before he sang about 9 p.m. in the grandstand. The girl didn't know she would be getting to see Bryan up close until her mother told her.
"When we got down there (the fair), she didn't know she was going to meet him, either. But there was so much hush, hush" and people whispering that Olivia was told. Security with the fair gave Olivia a tour of the fair before the concert.
"I don't like surprises. I have to know," Olivia said, something which her mother agreed.
"She's not a big fan of surprises," Lisa Bensinger said.
So what did she do when she met the music star?
"I couldn't speak," Olivia said.
Lisa said Bryan was a "very nice guy" and "very, very sweet."
Olivia gave him a T-shirt.
"He called her sweetheart," her mom said.
Olivia's favorite song is "Muckalee Creek Water" from his CD "Tailgates and Tanlines."
The first song she ever heard by Bryan is "Rain is a Good Thing" from his CD "Luke Bryan Doin' My Thing."
It is one of the two songs she has on her iPhone 4, the other being "Do I" from the same album.
Bryan's music helped to calm her when she was at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital for a routine appointment related to her cancer diagnosis.
Olivia takes oral chemotherapy medicine daily. She also goes once a month to Hershey for IV chemo treatment and spinal taps where they inject chemo drugs into her spinal fluid. She also has her blood tested every two weeks.
Lisa Bensinger said Olivia is doing OK right now.
"Her last chemo will be Feb. 13, 2015," she said.
After that, she will travel to the hospital in Hershey for checkups every two years, unless additional symptoms reappear.
"As long as she never has any symptoms of low blood counts or anything like that, she's done. She doesn't have to worry about ever having the chemo again," Lisa Bensinger said.
The gift of the tickets and meeting Bryan was a rewarding experience for Olivia, her mom said.
"We never expected this. You don't expect people to go out of their way to help. It was getting to where the concert was coming and we didn't think she was going to get to meet him," Lisa Bensinger said.
Donations to help Olivia with her medical expenses can be made to the Team Olivia account at First National Bank of Fredricksburg in Schuylkill Haven.