Canadian singer Madison Olds used another one of her talents to give her boyfriend Derek Jezewsky a potentially life-changing Christmas gift this week.
Olds has been dancing on TikTok for weeks to raise enough money for stem cell treatments for Jezewsky, who was left paralyzed following a 2017 motocross accident. This week, her campaign got a huge boost when TikTok star David Dobrik and Postmates kicked in $50,000.
In all, more than $82,000 has been raised for the procedure, which comes with a $70,000 price tag.
“We definitely hit our goal and we’re hoping we can bless some people along the way,” Olds told iHeartRadio’s Shannon Burns.
“This treatment isn’t offered in Canada for people with spinal cord injuries so our goal is to make this a bigger conversation and be an ambassador for the program and be the face to encourage people to chase a dream of recovery.
The couple is scheduled to meet with doctors on Friday and hopes to travel to Colombia early next year for the treatment, which uses stem cells developed from umbilical cords from healthy births.
@madison_oldsI honestly don’t know what to say to all of you, I’m so overwhelmed with all of the love and supportthank you for making this Christmas special
♬ The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
The B.C. native released her debut album Blue in 2018 and garnered plenty of attention with singles like “Thank You" and "Best Part of Me." Sharing dance videos on TikTok was something new.
“I spend all my time putting my heart and soul into music and then I do a 15-second dance and my music career just falls to the side,” she joked.
Olds was introduced to Jezewsky by her musician father and immediately knew he was the one. “I saw him and he smiled and I was like ‘Damn, did I just fall?’ It was magic right from the beginning.”
The singer moved to Toronto to support her beau, who plays wheelchair basketball for Team Canada. They returned to B.C. when the pandemic hit to be with family.
Olds is the latest iHeartRadio Future Star.