SIPA USA

Teen Battling Cancer Dies Days After Meeting Beyonce on FaceTime

By: Joe Hyer

March 23, 2017

UPDATE (Monday, March 27): We have learned that Ebony Banks (the teen who got to meet Beyonce via FaceTime last week) passed away on Sunday (March 26).

Banks was able to meet Beyoncé via FaceTime because of a social media campaign started by her friends. 

Photographs from Sunday night's vigil for Ebony were posted on Twitter. 



ORIGINAL POST (Thursday, March 23): Never underestimate the power of the Beyhive (Beyoncé’s fan group). Yes, Beyoncé’s fans have done something truly magnificent. 

Ebony Banks, a high school senior from Houston, is battling stage 4 of a rare form of cancer. Beyoncé is Ebony's idol. So her friends started a campaign to get Bey’s attention using the hashtag #EBOBMEETSBEYONCE. " Ebob " is Ebony's nickname. 

"We just decided she should, you know, meet Beyoncé. We started this hashtag to see how far we could get," one of Ebony's friends told KHOU-TV. 

The hashtag took off with members of the Beyhive across the globe, and the campaign reached Queen Bey herself. So, of course, Beyoncé surprised Ebony with a FaceTime call on Wednesday (March 22).

In the video clip below, you can even hear Ebony tell Beyoncé, "I love you."  Watch for yourself: 

Beyoncé facetiming with Ebony, a fan with a rare cancer disease whose wish was to meet Beyoncé ------❤️ ------------------------------------------------ "High school student Ebony Banks, who has stage four cancer, had her dream came true Wednesday when she received a FaceTime call from her hero, Beyoncé. Banks — who attends Alief Hastings High School in Houston, Texas — has spent most of her senior year at MD Anderson Cancer Center fighting a rare stage four cancer, according to KIAH, a local news station. Earlier this month, the school district held a special early graduation ceremony for Banks, whose nickname is “Ebob,” in the hospital. And as the ultimate graduation present, Banks’ friends and classmates created the hashtag #EBOBMEETSBEYONCE on social media so that she could meet with Beyoncé in an effort to help make one of her biggest dreams come true." "Beyonce is one of her idols. She admires her so much, so we're trying to put that on Twitter and Instagram to get Beyonce's attention," said Gutierrez. --------------------------------------------------God Bless you, Ebony! We're praying for you beautiful! #BeyHive ------

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beylite) on



Never underestimate the power of social media.