The Backstreet Boys is one of the biggest boy bands of all time. Their talent and the fact that they’re still together after all these years is the reason why they could sell concert tickets easily.
Amanda Coley, a huge fan of the band, has loved the Backstreet Boys ever since she was a teenager. Now 36 years old, that admiration hasn’t waned off even one bit. Her sister Maggie Kingston is a fellow fan, so the two women were elated when their husbands gifted them with tickets to the band’s August show in Atlanta at Christmas last year.
They knew that the Backstreet Boys sell concert tickets easily, so the sisters felt so lucky when they got a hold of them early. The pair waited for the big day to come and Amanda, in her excitement, couldn’t stop talking about the August 21 concert. However, on August 1, she received tragic news that crushed her dreams of seeing the boy band live.
“We found out about three weeks ago that [Coley] had leukemia,” Maggie, 25, tells PEOPLE of her sister. “She was like, ‘So I can’t go to the Backstreet Boys concert?’ That was the first thing she said. She was crying. Both of us are huge fans. She told me I should go. But I said, ‘I’m not gonna go if you don’t go!’”
Amanda was then admitted to the hospital to start her treatment. Maggie wanted to do something special for her sister, so she collaborated with Amanda’s friend, Celena Townsend, to set up an intimate surprise party in her hospital room at the Northside Hospital in Atlanta.
“It was my idea to go up there and play music and eat junk food,” Amanda says. “[Amanda’s] son Mason made these little invitations and we asked the nurse to pass them out to the other nurses on the floor. We just wanted them to stop by and say hi.”
But the nurses had better plans. Instead of just passing by, a group of them came to Amanda’s room clapping and singing songs by the famous band for her entertainment. Maggie says the nurses performed three songs as their patient sang along.
“I was crying! It was really emotional. We didn’t expect it. We were just in awe,” Maggie says. “Amanda danced with them! She was in heaven. She said it was really cool and emotional. She shed a couple happy tears.”
Maggie shared a short clip of the heartwarming moment and shared it on her Facebook, where it has been viewed 3,800 times as of writing.
“I went up there with a speaker and a cake and now it’s everywhere! Everywhere I turn, it’s there!” Maggie says of the viral video. “We thought it would die down … I’m just like, ‘Wow!’ Amanda loves it, it’s something for her to do. She’s still in the hospital so it’s something for her to read and do.”
The video even got the attention of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, who tweeted:
“We missed you last night Amanda! Looks (and sounds) like you have a great team helping you get better. We’re thinking of you and sending you love. To the nurses of Northside Cancer Center, thank you for all you do!!”
Of course, Maggie and Amanda were both ecstatic when they saw their idol’s tweet!
“It’s emotional. It’s joyful and her spirits are so lifted because of something so small — well, something I thought was going to be so small,” Maggie said.
Despite missing the concert, Amanda got her own personal show from her carers. And based on the video below, it looks like she enjoyed the whole thing very much!