Selena Gomez made the childhood dream of one of her fans come true after meeting with a 24-year-old battling stage 4 soft tissue cancer after his TikTok video went viral.
Timothy Bobrovitsky, from Ontario, Canada, describes himself as Selena Gomez's "No. 1 fan stan," and got the chance to meet the star in Los Angeles and celebrate his birthday after a Jan. 21 TikTok video detailing his cancer battle and dream to meet Gomez went viral.
In September 2022, Bobrovitsky told "Good Morning America" that he was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that involves soft tissue such as muscle or ligaments and can be found on the arm, leg, foot, or near joint spaces. According to the National Institute of Health, the age-adjusted incidence is 1.42/1,000,000 in adults. Bobrovitsky said he has faced his diagnosis with positivity.
"My reaction was probably not like many people's reactions," Bobrovitsky shared. "It was very chill. I was very relaxed and I did not freak out."
Bobrovitsky said his condition has since progressed, with the cancer spreading to both lungs and his shin.
Since his diagnosis, one of Bobrovitsky's bucket list items was to meet Gomez. He turned to social media. His viral video was a heartfelt plea to meet the "Wizards of Waverly Place" star who he says inspired him throughout his childhood and his most challenging times and he asked viewers to tag Gomez to spread the word.
"The one Selena concert I went to was like the biggest deal to me," Bobrovitsky reflected. "I used to sit in my room and watch old YouTube videos of Selena meeting her fans, and I would sit there and cry."
The video has garnered nearly 10 million views, eventually catching the eye of Gomez's team. Shortly after that, Bobrovitsky said Gomez's team contacted him to arrange a date and time to meet in Gomez's Rare Beauty office in Los Angeles.
The meeting on Feb. 21 was everything Bobrovitsky hoped for and more, he said. Bobrovitsky's actual birthday was March 1, making this an early birthday surprise.
"It was completely unexpected the way I met her," Bobrovitsky said, detailing how he was led directly to Gomez's office, where she greeted him. "It felt like Selena was meeting me as a friend, you know, like she wanted to see me and connect with me more than just a face in a video."
He said Gomez then led him to a birthday cake surrounded by balloons and Gomez joined in with the group to sing "Happy Birthday."
"We exchanged gift baskets and she told me she had another surprise and led me over to a table. It turns out all of her staff, including the heads of Rare Beauty and Interscope were there with balloons and a cake to sing me 'Happy Birthday,'" Bobrovitsky said.
Through his journey, Bobrovitsky said he hopes to inspire others to believe in the possibility of their dreams, no matter the obstacles.
"You don't have to have a life-altering situation for you to put yourself out there and to really strive for what you want," he said.
