Dolly Parton continued her long-held practice of making others' Christmas dreams come true when she spent time with an Alabama teen who's battling cancer.
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A 19-year-old from Cordova, Katelyn Dill met Parton in Nashville at the country singer's office. Alabama-based nonprofit Magic Moments arranged the Dec. 5 memory for Dill and her family.
"She was so down home," Dill told Birmingham NBC affiliate WVTM. "We shared some stories and sang some songs. Ms. Dolly even called my grandma to say 'hello.' She signed my shirt and told me she would stay in touch. She was so nice to my sister Emma, my cousin Hannah and my aunt Erica."
Parton talked with her guests, signed autographs and gave comforting hugs during the one-of-a-kind meet-and-greet.
According to WVTM anchor Rick Karle, Dill is a longtime fan of classic country music, with Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard also ranking high on her list of honky-tonk heroes.
Dill is to undergo surgery Dec. 15 at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She will have several teratomas removed from her abdominal area. The 2022 high school graduate has been diagnosed with stage 4 metastasized ovarian cancer. WVTM previously reported that Gill's cancer has spread to her abdomen, liver and diaphragm. She began treatments at age 17.
Dill got equal love and support closer to home back in October, when she fulfilled a lifelong dream by practicing with the Million Dollar Band, the marching band for the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. She'd played flute in the Cordova High School marching band.
On her last day of school before cancer treatments began, her high school's band marched with other students through the halls and into the parking lot as a show of support.
"We want to show Katelyn how much Cordova loves and supports her," CHS Principal Alisa Brown told the student body (as quoted on Gill's GoFundMe page). "We are giving Katelyn a pep rally send off until she returns next semester."
