A young girl from Saskatchewan has formed an unexpected friendship with American singer Halsey, and after years of being social media pen pals, the two finally met in person for the first time.
Bella Thomson, 10, got to meet her idol during a family trip to Disneyland last week.
The visit was “awesome,” Thomson said.
Thomson’s mom, Kyla, posted a video of the long-awaited meeting to TikTok. The two chatted about voice acting, makeup, music and stage names.
“Hers is Halsey and mine is Bella Brave,” Thomson explained.
They even came up with the title of their first song—Heartbreaker—that Thomson hopes one day she can record with the singer.
Halsey, 29, first noticed Thomson on TikTok a few years ago.
The little girl, who was seven years old at the time, went viral for a video of her drawing a fox posted to Kyla’s TikTok account. The post garnered more than 24 million views. Halsey, a three-time Grammy nominee, was one of them.
While the singer initially connected to Thomson’s love for music and drawing, she quickly fell down a rabbit hole on social media and learned more about the medical issues Thomson faces.
Thomson was born with a mutation of three rare diseases that left her with no immune system and in desperate need of a bowel transplant.
Kyla turned to social media to share her daughter’s medical journey and positive spirit.
After learning this, Halsey reached out to Kyla and promised to send a care package for Thomson. Months later she received her present, which included an iPad, art supplies and a personal note from the singer.
The family continues to keep in touch with the singer.
“She’s just been cheering Bella on ever since,” said Kyla.
“The connection she has with Bella, it just means a lot. She's a real good friend and it's just very crazy to say that because she's such a superstar.”
After years on the waitlist, Thomson received a successful bowel transplant last summer. Her recovery time has been quicker than most, according to Kyla, which allowed the family to take the trip to California.
“I'm just so thankful for the time she (Halsey) took out of her day to come and visit us where we were at in Disneyland,” Kyla said.
“But before we even met Halsey, this trip just meant so much. It is the first time we've been able to travel outside of Canada. It’s the first airplane ride that didn't take Bella to a hospital.”
The Thomson family says this won’t be the last encounter with singer. They plan to carry on the unlikely friendship, and hope to see each other more now that Thomson is healthy again.
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