Terminally ill teen granted last wish, meets Eminem day before he dies

Gage Garmo got his dying wish.

On Sunday, the 17-year-old had a surprise visitor to his Rochester Hills, Michigan home: Eminem.

Garmo died the next night after a three-year battle with an aggressive form of bone cancer.

He would have turned 18 on Friday.

When Garmo was told he had just days to live, his friends took immediate action, spreading his story on social media with the hashtag #GarmoStrong, setting up a GoFundMe account to help support Garmo and his family, and trying to make Garmo’s dream of meeting Eminem come true.

Rainbow Connection, an organization that grants wishes to Michigan children with life-threatening or terminal illnesses, was already aware of Garmo’s wish. When his health took a turn for the worse, the organization scrambled to contact Eminem and make a visit happen.

Only days later, Eminem flew in from Atlanta, surprising Garmo in his family’s living room.

"Gage sat up with a grin on his face," said Rainbow Connection’s Ingrid Todt, on hand as Eminem arrived at the Garmo home. “His family hadn’t seen their son do that in such a long time.”

"It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen," she said. “The stars aligned, and Gage’s wish came true.”

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"We’re so glad we were able to reach Eminem’s people and they were able to respond, and Eminem was able on such short notice to go and see this boy in his own home," executive director Mary Grace McCarter told the Detroit Free Press. “It says something about everybody, really. I hope all the students and friends of Gage feel good about their well-wishes too.”

On Monday night, hundreds gathered at Rochester High School’s football field for a candlelight vigil in honour of Garmo, who was an active member of the varsity football team, even after losing a leg to amputation.

Garmo was granted an early graduation from the school last week.