Aberdeen schoolboy Baxter Dick, who was not expected to survive when he was born with a string of complex health problems, met his musical hero on his 14th birthday.
Baxter Dick and his family meet Nathan Evans and Saint Phnx at the Hydro(Image: UGC)
A seriously-ill youngster who listens to sea shanty star Nathan Evans to get him through his surgeries was overjoyed to meet his idol ahead of his sell-out Hydro gig.
Baxter Dick was not expected to survive when he was born with a string of complex health problems, including spina bifida and fluid on the brain.
Against all odds, the schoolboy, from Aberdeen, battled back but has had to face 14 ops in the last three years – with one recent hospital stay lasting three months.
His mum Ailsa said she was able to tell Nathan how much his music means to her son when the family met him and Scots pop duo Saint Phnx for a sound check ahead of their show on Saturday – the day of Baxter’s 14th birthday.
She said: “Nathan’s version of Auld Lang Syne is one of the songs Baxter listens to when he goes into theatre to calm him down and zone him into a space where he is able to cope.
Baxter said the gig made his birthday the best yet
“Nathan Evans has got him through so much stuff. He loves all the songs and the shanties got him thorough lockdown because it was really awful for him.
“The day the tickets went on sale was the day he got his most recent shunt put in. He went into theatre saying ‘we need to get the tickets’. I missed out on them and the first thing he asked when he came round was ‘did you get them?’ I felt awful. But the John O’Byrne Foundation made it happen.
“I was able to tell Nathan what he has done for Baxter.”
Baxter returned home to Aberdeen earlier this month after being flown to Glasgow for emergency surgery in July, which resulted in multiple infections and meningitis.
It meant he and his mum were separated from dad James, big brother Brodie, 16, and sister Caledonia, 10, for several months.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Ailsa said: “We’ve spent so much time in Glasgow in the last three years.
“Medically he’s very complex and possibly the most complicated cases of Hydrocephalus in the country.
“Being in the hospital so much is difficult. He misses out on a lot of life. We were in over Christmas and new year and he’s just missed a whole term of school.
“He gets multiple headaches daily and sitting up is a problem for him, but he doesn’t complain.”
Nathan Evans announced his biggest live show yet at the Ovo Hydro from the main stage at TRNSMT in the summer.
Nathan Evans described his Hydro gig as “the stuff that dreams are made of”(Image: PA)
The former Postman shot to fame in 2021 when he was discovered posting songs on TikTok. Since then he has toured the world.
Ailsa said Saturday’s Hydro show had given Baxter his “best birthday ever”.
She said: “He stayed until the very end. He spent all the next day paying for it and had a very sore head, but he said it was so worth it. He was so happy and went into school telling everyone about it.”
John O’Byrne, who spent much of his childhood in hospital suffering from brittle bones, has had to put much of his foundation work on the backburner in recent months due to his own health problems.
Charity hero John O’Byrne made the moment happen(Image: UGC)
But when he met Baxter he knew he wanted to help and used a connection to Saint Phnx’s Stevie Jukes to make his birthday wish happen.
John said: “When I met Baxter a while back I was between operations myself and wasn’t feeling well at all. But when he told me what he’d been through and how much he loved Nathan and Saint Phnx, I knew I had to sort something.”