When K-pop changed my life

December 6, 2019, will forever remain one of the most treasured days of my life. It was the day I met the world-renowned K-pop group, BTS, and saw them perform live for the first time. 

I’m a high school senior homeschooled through Fusion Academy. Since falling ill at 14, my life has been a revolving door of hospitals, procedures and appointments. Though the past four years have been incredibly difficult, one of the bright spots has been my discovery of K-pop music, particularly the group BTS.

Through following BTS’ “Love Yourself, Speak Yourself” campaign, and listening to the positive messages in their lyrics, I’ve started to rediscover parts of myself that I had begun to lose during the midst of my illness. My passion for music and life has been reignited, and overall my days are filled with so much more joy. My self-love and self-confidence have grown, leading me to push myself out of my comfort zone by attending more social events and sharing my story through my Instagram (@_chronically_fighting_). 

Because of the incredible impact BTS has had on my life, my parents agreed to drive me 24 hours to see their three-song setlist at the Jingle Ball in Los Angeles. A few hours before their performance, I was surprised with the unimaginable gift of a meet-and-greet session with BTS. I can’t express how much that night meant to me. I’m so thankful for iHeartRadio’s generosity in making my dream of meeting BTS come true. The outpouring of love and support I’ve received from BTS’ global fanbase, known as ARMY, since sharing my experience on my Instagram account has been astonishing. My meet-and-greet story ended up going viral (through social media and news stations), and because of that, a month later I continue to receive encouraging and heartfelt messages from other BTS fans from all across the world, who, like me, find strength through BTS and their message. 

The precious memories I made that night will comfort me on bad days and remind me to always keep fighting. 

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