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Metallica fan’s wish comes true

SINGAPORE - When you wish upon a star, as that old Disney song goes, your dreams come true.

Sudhaker and his friends meeting James Hetfield of Metallica

Sudhaker and his friends meeting James Hetfield of Metallica

SINGAPORE - When you wish upon a star, as that old Disney song goes, your dreams come true.

And just like Pinnochio, 17-year-old Sudhaker Akkipeddi was granted his wish on Saturday (Aug 24) when he was had an audience with his favourite band, Metallica.

However, unlike the other fans who met the American metal band, Sudhaker’s case was a little different. His was granted his wish via the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the non-profit organisation that aims to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions “to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy”.

“The experience was out of this world – it was so much more than I could have ever dreamed of. This heavy metal concert was on a whole new level,” said Sudhaker, who was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure last year.

His condition requires him to undergo dialysis three times a week, and he is due to sit for A-Levels. According to him, he wanted to meet Metallica because they are the “best metal band in the world”.

The highlight of the day was meeting all the band members and chatting about the music. “Then, when drummer Lars (Ulrich) invited me and my friends to watch the show from backstage, we couldn’t believe it,” he said, adding that after he had told lead singer James Hetfield that his favourite song was And Justice For All, the band dedicated the track to him before playing the song.

“The day was outstanding – just being able to go to the show was so cool. I really really want to thank Make-A-Wish for all they did – getting us tickets in the first place and then helping us meet the band,” he said. “I really also want to thank Lars for inviting us to watch the show from backstage – hats of to the band – I even played drums with Lars at one point.”

Incidentally, this was the organisation’s 900th wish granted since it began operations here in 2003. Said Diane Koh, Make-A-Wish Foundation’s interim CEO: “Granting our 900th wish is a very special moment for our charity and I’m so proud and grateful to all the volunteers, supporters and donors who have helped us along the way.

“Our 900th wish is an extra special one as we have been able to help Sudhaker meet one of the most famous bands in the world – special thanks should go LAMC Productions for helping make this young man’s wish come true,” she added.

For Sudhaker, having his wish come true will be something he’ll remember forever. “I will never ever forget this,” he said. “I don’t think I will ever experience anything like this again.”

Those who know a child in a similar situation and would like to help them fulfill their wishes can get in touch with Make-A-Wish (http://makeawish.org.sg).

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