Manitoba teen with end-stage kidney disease meets idol Dolly Parton

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for 13-year-old Fallon Steeves.

The Manitoba teenager could hardly hold back her excitement when she got the opportunity to chat with her idol Dolly Parton last weekend.

The two spoke over Zoom, and Parton even sang “I will always love you” to Fallon.

“I was really excited, and it was also cool because I was seeing one of the most famous people in the world. I was happy,” recalled Fallon.

The teen from Steinbach, Man., is living with end-stage kidney disease. Every night she receives 11 hours of dialysis treatment to keep her alive.

“Sometimes it’s hard to see people do things that I am not allowed to do, and the food they eat that I’m not allowed to eat. It’s hard sometimes,” she said.

This weekend, a very special Dream came true. Dream Kid Fallon got to spend some time chatting to her idol, @DollyParton! Fallon learned about Dolly’s songwriting process, what’s happening at Dollywood, and was even serenaded by Dolly????#Winnipeg #Manitoba pic.twitter.com/X9w452rtVP

— The Dream Factory (@DreamFactoryMB) March 13, 2023

But Fallon remains strong. And she got a boost thanks The Dream Factory.

The Manitoba-based charity made the meeting with Parton a reality. The Dream Factory is dedicated to fulfilling the dreams of children who are battling life-threatening illnesses.

The charity started working with Fallon when she was 12 years old.

“It’s just been amazing the way the community has rallied around and helped because we have had such amazing community support even when Fallon is in hospital,” said Sharon Steeves, Fallon’s mother.

Fallon was born in Ukraine and moved to Canada two-and-a-half years ago when Sharon and her husband adopted her.

Sharon has adopted 11 children from Ukraine, starting in 2000. She says she is extremely fortunate to have adopted Fallon when she did, because all adoptions are on hold now due to the war.

“I’m really thankful we got Fallon when we did, because she would not be here right now if that was the case, because she was so sick,” said Sharon.

Even though Fallon has met and spoken to her idol virtually, she hopes to meet and sing with Parton in person one day.

“I’m hoping that Dolly maybe somewhere sees this interview and will say ‘let’s make this happen’ because it was kind of out there,” said Sharon. “She would love to sing with her in real life. Fallon isn’t shy at all, and she loves to sing. It would just be so cool to have that memory for her.”

As Fallon continues to fight her battle, she wants to share a simple message with others who may be in a similar situation as her.

“Just don’t give up.”