Lachie feels the Love: Herald readers offer 8-year-old with brain tumour their Ed Sheeran tickets

Eight-year-old Lachie Love's wish to see Ed Sheeran play in concert will come true next month.

An 8-year-old boy recently diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable brain tumour is already ticking off his wish list - kicking off with a special evening with pop star Ed Sheeran.

Auckland schoolboy Lachie Love was diagnosed with the incurable brain cancer diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) just after Christmas.

Since Lachie’s parents Andy and Liesje shared the news of their son’s diagnosis in the Herald they’ve been inundated with support, messages and donations to make Lachie’s dreams come true.

One of Lachie’s wishes is to see pop star Ed Sheeran in concert and Liesje said she had messages from readers offering Lachie their personal tickets.

“We had everyday readers messaging us saying they would like to give Lachie their own concert tickets, it was really touching and humbling,” Liesje said.

“We have been overwhelmed by how kind and generous everyone has been - people are amazing.”

Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner also heard of Lachie’s wish to see the UK pop star and arranged a night for the whole Love family at the upcoming Auckland concert.

Lachie Love will get to see Ed Sheeran in concert at Eden Park in Auckland next month. Photo / Dean Purcell

“Since the story about Lachie was published, we have been inundated with offers from the Eden Park community, keen to help make Lachie’s Ed Sheeran wish come true,” Sautner said.

“It’s been heartening to see such an outpouring of generosity and love from our Board members, staff, neighbours, and local businesses.”

The Love family will be taken care of at the concert with Sautner promising a “unique experience” for Lachie.

Mt Eden businesses had also been in touch with Sautner, offering to be part of the “money can’t buy” experience for Lachie and his family.

As well as seeing Ed Sheeran perform live the Auckland schoolboy is hoping to go to Harry Potter World in Florida, see country singer Blake Shelton in concert in Texas and go to Universal Studios.

He’s also waiting on clearance from specialists at Starship children’s hospital to see if he can fulfil a wish to go swimming with sharks at Kelly Tarlton’s next week.

“We have that planned but we just need to make sure his scar from the surgery is healed and the doctors are happy for him to be underwater for that long,” Liesje said.

As well as kind offers of concert tickets Lachie had received an email from the mask-wearing superhero Batman and also Darth Vader.

Liesje was able to read Lachie the messages from Batman and Darth Vader just before he went in to have his own mask for radiation treatment fitted at Starship children’s hospital.

“We showed him what Darth Vader had written about how cool masks were so that really helped prepare Lachie for the mask fitting,” Liesje said.

Lachie Love is fitted with a mask to help deliver his radiation treatment to shrink a cancerous brain tumour.

Lachie’s aunt Nikki Donkin had set up a Givealittle page to help raise money for Lachie’s wish list - and also to allow Liesje and Andy much-needed time off work to spend with their son.

The page had raised more than $89,000 so far.

Mum Liesje said her “larger than life” boy also had some more unusual requests - such as learning how to be a Ninja in Japan and for him and younger brother Harry to see sloths in South America.

“Because of the treatment he is having he will need to rest so we will have to factor that into anything we do.”

“There are some things we won’t be able to do but we want to give him as many great experiences as we can.”

Liesje said since sharing Lachie’s story others who had experienced DIPG had been in touch.

The rare cancer affects around two New Zealand children and 20 Australian children each year.

It is the same complex tumour Wellington teen Jemima Gazley was diagnosed with.

The 15-year-old died in October last year after spending the last weeks of her life raising awareness for DIPG and fundraising for a cure.

Nearly $700,000 raised through the crowdfunding site Givealittle was donated by Dr Matt Dun, an Australian researcher who has been fighting to find a cure for DIPG. Dun’s daughter also died from DIPG.

Liesje said she had been in contact with Jemima’s mother Ray Gazley and had been given details for Dun in hope a clinical trial might help Lachie.

Liesje said the family was overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of love from their community and throughout New Zealand and overseas.

“On one hand it is such a rare diagnosis but with that, there is a real vigilance in the community affected by DIPG,” she said.

“The support we have had so far has been amazing.”