Morgan Wallen makes a young man from Oak Ridge dream come true
Wallen gave a shout out to Southeast Missouri’s very own Owen Hale during a concert in August at Arrowhead Stadium, but that was only the beginning of what was in store for Owen.
When you ask Owen who his favorite artist is, he will tell you “Morgan Wallens the best!”
Yes, you might say Owen is a big fan, easily naming off his favorite songs: “That should be easy, Morgan Wallen, “Whiskey Glasses,'” said Owen.
So that concert shout out was just part of this ‘dream come true ballad’ of sorts.
You might say it began when Owen was born with a rare heart condition.
“When I was pregnant at 20 weeks, I found out he had a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. I had to do a lot of ultrasounds and they had to check and watch him the whole time,” said Alexis Arnold, Owen’s mom.
In all Owen has had three heart surgeries including one at birth, one at six months old, and another at age two.So when Make-A-Wish asked him what he truly wanted the answer to Owen was obvious.
Owen and mom Alexis were ecstatic to learn when coordinators reached out, Wallen quickly agreed. Not only that, the team pulled out all the stops, treating the family to Lego Land and the aquarium. Then not only having him attend the concert, but also inviting Owen to hang out back stage.
“We have always been fan of him, but he was really outgoing and very sweet,” said Arnold.
Owen being the free-spirited young man he is tells us, “I’m just a lucky person.”
As for the plans and execution of the trip, Arnold says “they took care of everything.” She says “They got us a rental car and they drove us up there. They got us a really nice hotel, like a resort hotel and they could go swimming and stuff. Then they came and picked us up for the Morgan Wallen concert and took us backstage,” she said.
Owen even made friends with Wallen’s inner circle, making memories that will last a life time.
“I like the set up that he had and I like the security guard ,Wilson,” said Owen.
Owen’s mom explains if you didn’t see his scars, you’d never know Owen had a heart condition.
