Mike Hugo, a father to two wonderful daughters and a husband to a beautiful wife, was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma – an aggressive form of brain cancer – in April 2022. At the time, he was given around 14 months to live. So, naturally, he wanted to pack as much life into those 14 months as possible.
Knowing his days were limited, Hugo began teaching his daughters as many life lessons as he could. At the same time, he knew there was a real possibility that he would miss certain things in their lives, so he wanted to start planning for that. For example, he already has birthday cards made for when they turn 21.
According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, glioblastoma is a ‘fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor’ that can result in death in just six months if not treated properly. Approximately 40% of patients survive after the first year post-diagnosis, and only 17% survive after the second year.
While his daughters are only 6 and 7 years old today, there’s one event in their life that he would hate to miss, and that’s their wedding day – more specifically, dancing with his daughters on their wedding day. Unfortunately, his disease is going to make that hard to obtain, considering he’s on borrowed time.
“One of my dreams is to be with my little girls for their wedding and be there dancing with them, but statistically, it’s going to be tough,” he said in a Facebook video on February 9. “I’m going to fight hard to get there, but one of my dreams, or goals, is to do a duet with ‘My Little Girl’ with Tim McGraw.”
He posted the video on Facebook 10 months into his diagnosis in hopes of it reaching Tim McGraw, who would then agree to the duet – that way, if he’s not alive to see his daughters get married, they can at least play the video of the duet on their wedding day. That was his wish, but there was no guarantee.
That’s when the power of social media shined through. Not long after posting the video, Tim McGraw caught wind of it and immediately started scheduling a time to meet Mike Hugo and his family. Knowing his disease could worsen at any moment, McGraw made that dream come true in late February.
Tim McGraw Fulfills Mike Hugo’s Wish
Along with his wife, two daughters, and mother, Mike Hugo saw his wish come true when he met Tim McGraw at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. In an interview with Good Morning America, he said the singer ‘rolled out the red carpet’ for his family and showed them an incredible time during their visit.
“We went to the Grand Ole Opry, and I put a tuxedo on, and I danced with my girls in the circle. It was just incredible. Just an amazing experience, and so thankful that we were able to make it happen,” Hugo said. Not only that, but Tim McGraw took the time to record a duet of his hit song ‘My Little Girl’ with Hugo.
“He just couldn’t have been more gracious with his time and energy. He still took the time to sing with somebody [who] can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” Hugo continued. He’ll now continue to fight his battle with glioblastoma, knowing that, no matter what happens, he’ll be a part of his daughter’s weddings someday.
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Not only that, but he’ll be using this story as just another life lesson for his daughters. “The big life lesson is, ‘Hey, whatever you want to do? You could do it.’ You know, the trick is to actually just do it,” he said. As of March, Hugo received his diagnosis 11 months ago – we send him and his family all the best.
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