Schoolgirl fighting cancer meets her idol Benson Boone
Facing her second battle with cancer, northern NSW schoolgirl Kenzie Riddle only wanted one present for her 13th birthday.
And she got it last night when she met American singer Benson Boone on stage at his concert at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
In an emotional finale to Boone's first show in his Australian tour, Kenzie joined him on stage to perform his hit song Beautiful Things.
The dream became a reality for the year 7 Kingscliff student thanks to a video she filmed with her friends and Tweed singer-songwriter Fergus Hogan.
Kenzie says she and her friends had a lot of fun recording the song. (Supplied: Riddle family)
Kenzie said she was shocked to see the video had been viewed on Instagram more than 600,000 times.
"It was so much fun and we just thought it would be really fun to get some publicity and meet him somehow," she said.
"I love his energy most of all, he is just super cool,"
she said.
"He's great at backflips, it's his signature move."
Fergus Hogan, 19, said he was contacted by one of Kenzie's teachers from his old school Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School in Tweed Heads.
"He told me about Kenzie's journey, and I was like, I'd love to help," he said.
"Benson Boone is an amazing artist and to give Kenzie a possibility of meeting him was easy for me and she is so deserving of it."
Singer-songwriter Fergus Hogan says he was approached to get involved in Kenzie's campaign by one of her teachers. (Supplied: Riddle family)
He said Kenzie and her friends came to the project with lots of ideas.
"They were a really nice group of girls, super supportive, and I think really excited about being on Instagram as well," he said.
'Sparkle' despite second cancer diagnosis
Mum Robyn Riddle said she was proud of her daughter's positive attitude in the face of her second cancer diagnosis.
Kenzie is undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with B-lymphoblastic lymphoma in September.
Four years ago, she was diagnosed with a different form of cancer in their home country of South Africa.
She went through chemotherapy and surgery, before being declared in remission in January 2024.
Ms Riddle said Kenzie had been thriving since the family emigrated to Australia in March 2024, and community support since the new diagnosis had been invaluable.
"She's facing it head on," Ms Riddle said.
Kenzie is going through treatment for cancer for a second time. (Picture: Kenzie's Keepers)
"She's always had a bit of a sparkle in her eye, she is always very optimistic.
"We have a saying in our family, "always shine your eyes", and she definitely does that."
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