A Vancouver girl living with a rare disease spent weeks trying to meet her idol, Ellen DeGeneres, and at the eleventh hour, her wish came true.
The beloved talk show host was in Vancouver for her sold-out show, “A Conversation with Ellen,” at Rogers Arena Friday night.
Jayda Suttie, 11, and her mother had purchased tickets for the event but also wanted to meet Ellen in person.
CTV Vancouver interviewed them Friday about their efforts to meet the comedian. They were watching their story during the dinner newscast when they received the news.
“We were watching ourselves on CTV and the phone rang,” explained Linda Suttie. “It was surreal.”
That phone call gave them the news they were waiting for: backstage access for a meet and greet with Ellen.
“When I told Jayda, she just screamed and lots of excitement, tears – just very overwhelmed,” Suttie said.
The meeting between Jayda and Ellen was an emotional, albeit brief, one.
“I was crying at the time. I gave her a ginormous hug and I said: you inspire me,” Jayda said.
Jayda has leukodystrophy, which is a group of diseases that impact the central nervous system and can be fatal. People diagnosed with the illness generally only live another two to 10 years.
“You desperately want to sit people down that have the platform that Ellen has and say: this is our experience,” Suttie said.
Since the disease is rare, Jayda and her family are trying to raise more awareness.
“I’m good but there are kids that are in wheelchairs and can’t even feed themselves – or can’t see or hear or walk,” Jayda said.
The family tries to live life to its fullest and live by Ellen’s words.
“We all can just make the most of every day and I think being kind to one another is what resonates,” Suttie said. “Ellen just has the courage to say that.”
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Breanna Karstens-Smith
