Terminally Ill Foo Fighters Fan Crowdfunds His Way To Meeting His Heroes

A terminally ill Australian mega-fan of US rock vets the Foo Fighters looks to have one of his bucket-list wishes ready to be ticked off after a GoFundMe campaign to help get him to a concert in Los Angeles went viral this week.

At the time of writing, Ken Powell's story has seen the internet respond with rapid generosity to the tune of more than $19,500 — within a hair's breadth of reaching his original goal of $20,000.

Powell, 56, has been battling cancer for the past 14 years, and in 2009 was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. He has undergone several bouts of treatment and surgery but, despite the heavy toll of such stresses, has nonetheless remained fiercely passionate about the Sonic Highways hit-makers, following the band around Australia on their recent tour of the country.

As Yahoo News reports, Powell overcame several seizures and movement limitations at the start of the tour to make it to all the shows. His plans to meet the band in Perth were scuttled, however, when Dave Grohl & Co had to cancel all planned meet'n'greets due to a bout of food poisoning.

A chance meeting between the band and Qantas flight attendant Daniella Whitehead — who happens to be a friend of Powell's — sparked the flame that has since seen his startling turnaround in luck.

First, Grohl took a photo of himself with a greeting message for Powell, taking the time to send some pretty shmick stuff such as autographed memorabilia and VIP tickets to one of the band's shows in Los Angeles this September.

Recognising the need to fund Powell's trip to the States, his daughter, Tara, set up a Facebook page to raise awareness and funds for 'Ken The Foo Fighter', as he has become affectionately known, and the heartwarming story consequently took off around the internet.

Although Powell's original goal of $20,000 is all but raised — and, if you have questions over why the sum seems so steep, bear in mind his condition requires business-class travel (so he can lie down during the long-haul flight), an economy ticket for his carer and wife, Ann, as well as accommodation, food, transport and so on — the family have since lifted the aim to $30,000. Far from any kind of greed, the extra cash will be used to generate a sizeable donation for the Melanoma Institute Australia in an effort to give something back to the organisation, "who have helped and supported Ken for nine years".

For more information, see the Ken The Foo Fighter — My Hero Facebook page, or see the GoFundMe campaign page.