Foo Fighters Are Helping A Sick Aussie Fan Achieve His Bucket List Wish

Dave Grohl’s status as the nicest man in rock has been well documented and there’s now another story to add to the evidence. The Foo Fighters frontman is now trying to help make a sick Australian fan’s bucket list wish come true.

Reports Yahoo, 56-year-old NSW man Ken Powell is batting a 14-year fight with melanoma, but hasn’t let his illness interfere with his Foo Fighters fandom. This year, Powell attended each of the Foo Fighters’ recent Australian tour dates, despite going through bouts of seizures and not being able to walk at the beginning of the tour.

In Perth, Powell also came close to achieving his Bucket List wish of meeting the band in person, if not for a bout of food poisoning that forced Grohl and the band to cancel all meet-and-greets with fans.

It is here where the story takes a heartwarming turn, thanks in part to a friend and Qantas flight attendant Daniella Whitehead, who found herself on a flight with the Foo Fighters on their trip home, and shared Powell’s story with them.

Grohl then snapped a photo on the plane holding up a “hi Ken” sign (pictured above), and offered Powell some VIP tickets to a Los Angeles Foo Fighters show. Powell is now attempting to raise funds to get him to the show, via a “Ken The Foo Fighter – My Hero” Facebook page set up by his daughter Tara. At the time of writing the page has attracted over 5000 likes.

According to Yahoo, Mr Powell has already been dubbed ‘Miracle Man Ken’ by staff at Westmead Hospital, after he defied the odds when he was told in 2009 that he had only three to six months left to live.

He said that “setting life objectives” such as his goal to meet the Foo Fighters, is what drives him day-to-day. He is hoping to raise $20K to cover expenses for him and his wife to make the Los Angeles trip, saying that any extra funds will go towards melanoma research.

“Any money surplus to the fundraiser’s objective will be donated to Melanoma Institute of Australia who have been a big support to me,” he said. “I thought it was time to give back.”

To make a donation, visit Go Fund Me.

Gallery: Foo Fighters @ ANZ Stadium, Sydney 26/02/15 / Photos by Paul Cush

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Posted by Ken The Foo Fighter – My Hero on Thursday, 12 March 2015