PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - A celebrated pop singer stopped by a South Florida care facility to help one of her biggest fans with the healing process, years after a hit-and-run crash.
Jessica Baker could hardly believe her eyes when Shannon showed up at Memorial Manor Nursing Home in Pembroke Pines, Friday.
7News cameras captured the Grammy-nominee singing her 1983 hit single “Let the Music Play” as she approached an outdoor patio area where Baker, sitting in a wheelchair, was waiting for her. The women then embraced.
“You look good, girl,” Shannon told Baker.
Shannon heard about Baker in 2015, when the South Florida fan was severely injured in a hit-and-run.
Baker clearly remembers the crash, and she shared her account with Shannon. “I got hit by a car,” said Baker.
“On your scooter?” said Shannon. “How long ago was that?”
“Two years ago,” said Baker.
One of Baker’s friends reached out to the entertainer’s team and asked if she could come by for a visit, something Shannon was more than happy to do. “I definitely want to get over there and try to encourage her to become a dancer again,” said Shannon.
Baker showed Shannon some of her best moves, and together they performed an impromptu duet of “Let the Music Play.”
After the performance, Shannon had some words of encouragement for Baker. “Don’t say ‘can’t.'”
“I won’t,” said Baker.
“Say ‘not right now, but later there’s a possibility that you can,'” said Shannon. “All things are possible in Christ.”
The recording artist also gave her fan a very special incentive: tickets to the Riptide Music Festival, sponsored by local radio station 102.7 The Beach. “I want you right there on stage with me, ’cause I want you to try,” Shannon told Baker.
Baker, who is gradually getting on her feet with physical therapy, gave Shannon a sneak preview of what she’s going to do on stage. She slowly stood up from her wheelchair and used a wooden fence as support.
“I get up and dance here and shake my booty a little bit,” said Baker.
The new friends visited for a bit before Baker had to return to the hospital.
Baker said she will cherish the opportunity to meet Shannon. “Thank you, I needed this,” she said. “I’m going to be talking about this all day.”
The Riptide Music Festival is scheduled for Dec. 3 on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Tickets are currently on sale.
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