Paula Bayona Sanchez, 20, has idolized Colombian singer Shakira since she was a little girl.
After a recent troubling health diagnosis, Bayona Sanchez fought her way through treatment to see the pop star perform in Toronto at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.
“Shakira pushed me through. It’s the only thing that was on my mind, this concert,” the London, Ont., woman told Global News before the show.
Bayona Sanchez has transverse myelitis, a condition that Mayo Clinic defines as “an inflammation of both sides of one section of the spinal cord.” She was recently diagnosed and now requires assistance from a walker.
“I can’t feel anything from the armpits down so it’s been really tough to walk and do everything alone,” she explained. “I’ve done spinal taps and a couple of MRIs.”
She was hospitalized in London. Her family says doctors have yet to pinpoint the precise cause of her condition.
Her mother and father, who accompanied her to the concert along with her brother, say she was determined to see Shakira and reminded her doctors and nurses of that regularly.
“My daughter inspires me to go ahead because sometimes we cry for small things, but there’s no way to be sad and no way for crying,” said her father, Andres Bayona.
But Bayona Sanchez isn’t just inspiring her father. One of the young woman’s friends took to Twitter, tagging Shakira in a post dedicated to the Bayona Sanchez’s determination.
The pop singer responded.
Grateful for the support, her mother carried a sign into the show that thanked Shakira and let her know Bayona Sanchez was indeed in the crowd cheering her on.
Her response to the Hips Don’t Lie singer: “Te quiero mucho.”
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