8-year-old cancer patient Delilah visited by singer of Plain White T’s

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK) – A young cancer patient in California got quite a surprise when the singer of the band Plain White T’s showed up to sing the band’s hit song “Hey There Delilah” in a moment that went viral.

Delilah Loya is an 8-year-old cancer patient who lives with her family in Bakersfield, California. However, throughout the year they have driven back and forth to the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital for her treatments.

Delilah has been battling cancer for four years, according to her mother, Samantha Loya.

“They finally told us, yeah, she has stage four neuroblastoma cancer and it’s 95% of the bone marrow,” Loya said. “And they told us specifically, like, she’s going to have to fight for her life.”

Delilah has had over 30 rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments since then.

Loya said TikToker Isaiah Garza reached out to her hoping to make one of Delilah’s dreams come true.

“Finally messaged him back and I’m like, ‘OK, well ... how you want to help her, but sure let’s throw some ideas out to me,’ and he’s like, ‘OK, well, tell me ... some of the things she likes,’” Loya said. “And then when I told him that her favorite song was ‘Hey There Delilah,’ he was like, ‘Oh, I have an awesome idea.’”

When Plain White T’s singer Tom Higginson came to sing the song to her in person, Delilah said she was shocked.

“I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and I just did this face,” the 8-year-old said as she made a surprised face.

The video has already been viewed over 15 million times.

Delilah’s second wish was granted in December. She got to fulfill her dream of becoming a Los Angeles Rams cheerleader.

“Delilah is very spunky, she has a big personality, she is super neat, she loves to organize as you can see her room, she loves to be outdoors and she’s a nature person,” Loya said.

The resilient 8-year-old also uses art to keep her spirits up and enjoys painting pictures.

“I mostly like to do, like, food ... spaghetti and garlic bread and grapes and strawberries and pineapple,” she said.

When she’s feeling up for it, Delilah will take her dad with her on a ride in her toy car.

“It’s a question I get asked a lot, like, ‘How do you do it? How do you guys do it?’ You know, but we have no time to really sit down and contemplate on how we’re going to do it,” Delilah’s dad said. “You know, we have to get up in the morning and let’s get this show on the road one more time, you know?”

Anyone interested in donating or requesting a painting made by Delilah can go to the family’s GoFundMe.