A father-of-two who has stage-four cancer enlisted country singer Tim McGraw to sing ‘My Little Girl’ duet for his daughters’ future wedding day.
Mike Hugo, from Florida, was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma – a form of cancerous and aggressive brain tumor – last April.
Following the diagnosis, which comes with an average survival of 14 months, he considered how he could remain in his family’s life even after he was gone.
The devoted dad decided to reach out to country singer Tim McGraw and asked that the pair duet for a video to be played at his daughters’ weddings when the time comes.
Mike Hugo, who has stage-four brain cancer, enlisted Tim McGraw to sing My Little Girl duet for his daughters’ future wedding day
The father-of-two, from Florida, was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma – a form of cancerous and aggressive brain tumor – last April
The devoted dad decided to reach out to McGraw and asked that the pair duet for a video to be played at his daughters’ weddings when the time comes
Glioblastoma: The most common cancerous brain tumor in adults with a survival time of 12 to 18 months
Glioblastomas are the most common cancerous brain tumors in adults.
They are fast growing and likely to spread.
Glioblastomas’ cause is unknown but may be related to a sufferer’s genes if mutations result in cells growing uncontrollably, forming a tumor.
Treatment is usually surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, followed by a combination of radio- and chemotherapy (chemoradiation).
It can be difficult to remove all of the growth as glioblastomas have tendrils that extend to other regions of the brain. These are targeted via chemoradiation.
Glioblastomas are often resistant to treatment as they are usually made up of different types of cells. Therefore, medication will kill off some cells and not others.
The average survival time is between 12 and 18 months.
Source: The Brain Tumour Charity
Mike’s daughters Bridget and Brooke are only six and seven years old – but he is already planning ahead.
The loving father shared a video to Facebook which laid bare his diagnosis before expressing his wishes.
He revealed: ‘The median survival for this very aggressive brain cancer is 14 months.
‘That was about 10 months ago.
‘What I’ve been trying to do as much as possible is give my children all the life lessons I can in a short amount of time.’
Mike said that he had already written birthday cards for his two kids to let them know how much he loves them.
He fought back tears as he continued: ‘One of my dreams is to be with my little girls for their wedding and be there dancing with them, but statistically, it’s going to be tough.
‘I’m going to fight hard to get there, but one of my dreams, or goals, is to do a duet with “My Little Girl” with Tim McGraw and do a video that we can play during their wedding.’
Mike concluded: ‘If I’m there, it would be awesome because it’s a beautiful song and if I’m not there, then at least I can be part of that wonderful day that I hope happens and hope comes.’
The message soon spread and it was not long until Mike, along with his daughters, wife and mother, flew to Nashville to meet the singer in person
Mike told Good Morning America that McGraw, whose own father – baseball star Tug McGraw – died of glioblastoma in 2004, ‘rolled out the red carpet.’
‘We went to the Grand Ole Opry and I put a tuxedo on and I danced with my girls in the circle,’ he said.
‘It was just incredible. Just an amazing experience, and so thankful that we were able to make it happen.’
‘We went to the Grand Ole Opry and I put a tuxedo on and I danced with my girls in the circle,’ Mike said
McGraw (pictured with one of Mike’s daughters), whose own baseball star father Tug McGraw died of glioblastoma in 2004, ‘rolled out the red carpet’
He then recorded a duet of the song with McGraw who is himself a father-of-three.
‘He just couldn’t have been more gracious with his time and energy. He still took the time to sing with somebody [who] can’t carry a tune in a bucket,’ Mike added.
The singer also took to social media with an Instagram post that read: ‘Thanx to everyone who shared Mike Hugo’s video on social media and tagged me in the comments.
‘So glad we were able to actually get together in person, meet this amazing family, and make it happen! Mike is saving the videos for his daughters’ future weddings… what a special thing to be a part of.’
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