A Toronto teen who is currently battling a rare form of brain cancer is surely still in awe after receiving a special video greeting from one of the city’s most notable celebrities.
On Sunday evening, Temeka Ishmael shared a heartwarming video of her 14-year-old son, Zelek Murray, who received a video greeting from one of his favourite artists, Drake.
Zelek was laying in a hospital bed while watching the video and looked completely shocked by the surprise.
In the video, Drake said that his friend, singer Mustafa the Poet- who is also from Toronto- told him that Zelek is a big fan.
“I can’t imagine how tough you have to be and Mustafa let me know that you’re a fan of mine, well I’m a fan of you,” Drake said in the video.
“I’m a fan of people with heart and I can tell that you have a lot of heart. I just want to tell you to stay strong, I love you and I appreciate you,” he added.
Zelek is seen gasping in shock and smiling while watching the video.
His mom is then seen embracing him with a big hug after the video finishes.
“You don’t even know how much this meant for US but most importantly “HIM”, Ishmael said in her Instagram post. “His strength is like no other and yes he has his good days and bad days, BUT THIS is exactly what he needed to lift up his Spirit.. to never give up,” she added.
Ishmael also described her son’s strength and positive attitude despite the adversity he is facing.
“You are my hero and many others. Your strength is like no other, thank you for always having a smile on your face and making all your nurses laugh even tho you're the one in pain,” she wrote.
Drake and Mustafa the Poet both shared the videos of Zelek’s reaction on their Instagram accounts, and the video has since gone viral.
Zelek has been battling Ependymoma since he was nine years old, according to a GoFundMe page created on Sunday by a family friend.
He is undergoing treatment at SickKids Hospital and is “drained from radiation therapy and other treatments used to help shrink his tumour,” reads the fundraising page.
So far, the GoFundMe campaign has raised almost $7,000 of its $20,000 goal.
