Backdoor music industry channels proved valuable for 17-year-old Heidi Hernandez, as the terminally ill Chicago resident was the recipient of some highly sought after Coldplay tickets.
Hernandez was diagnosed with a chronic liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis at three years old, and she comes in to her job at Lou Lou Malnati’s Pizza multiple times per week despite serious complications from her condition and her need for a second liver transplant.
While Hernandez considers herself a fan of the multiplatinum band Coldplay, one would assume her salary and possible medical expenses push tickets to see the band at Soldier Field down a few slots on the priority list.
Enter fellow Chicagoan Chance the Rapper.
A cursory glance at the official Lou Malnati’s Pizza Twitter feed reveals some mutual affection between Chance and the deep-dish pizza chain.
Chicago loves deep dish, but it loves Chance more. Congratulations on 3 (!) #GRAMMYs @chancetherapper. You've done your city proud. pic.twitter.com/9o7hB4bTKY
“Any guest that she has interaction with, you can tell they’re leaving with a smile on their face,” Hernandez’s manager Tori Sanchez told ABC.
Sanchez reportedly reached out to a mutual contact and inquired about getting Heidi tickets to see Coldplay. The end result was Heidi being surprised with a pair of free tickets to attend Friday's show with her boyfriend Jorge.
With prices for Coldplay's A Head Full of Dreams Tour easily hitting the $225 mark, fellow Chicagoans took notice of the arrangement.
Unbelievably proud to have Heidi and @chancetherapper in our Malnati family ❤️ All the lovehttps://t.co/2nxEhFt5s0
So great to see @chancetherapper helping a girl battling for her life to see her favorite band. He is one of the good guys in the world. https://t.co/TvptM63Ba3
“So great to see Chance the Rapper helping a girl battling for her life to see her favorite band,” Chicago sports personality David Kaplan tweeted. “He is one of the good guys in the world.”
“It felt like everyone was being connected somehow because we all enjoy the same music,” Heidi said of her experience. She also credited the Chris Martin-led outfit for helping her out of a deep depression.
