(Top) Rachel Rogers shares a special moment during Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus, as his wife, Allison DeMarcus and other band members look on. (Bottom left) Rascal Flatts band members, from left, Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus, shown here with their “number one fan” Rachel Rogers. (Bottom right) Rachel Rogers received a gift of a lifetime when her favorite country music entertainer sent her a personal message thanking her for being a fan.
An early birthday present
Seventeen second video makes dream come true for one special young lady.
By: Pamela Mirabella
Dreams really can come true. Just ask 27-year-old Rachel Rogers.
Rogers, a member of Best Buddies, an organization dedicated to ending social, physical and economic isolation for individuals with developmental disabilities, has always had a love affair with country music band, Rascal Flatts. She said she loves all three members of the trio, but her favorite, by far is Jay DeMarcus.
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Rogers, a high-spirited, intelligent young lady with special needs, said DeMarcus has always made her feel especially happy with his music. She has been to 14 Rascal Flatts concerts over the last 12 years.
Benton County Ties
In the summer of 2018, while on assignment in Nashville, The Camden Chronicle Editor Pamela Mirabella stopped in Jim ‘N Nicks Bar-B-Q on Charlotte Pike. Mirabella said, “A sweet young lady approached our table and immediately struck up a conversation with me. She asked me what I was doing in Nashville and what business I worked in. After explaining that I was a member of the press, she asked if I ever had an opportunity to talk with Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts. At that point, I had not.”
Mirabella continued, “After learning of the young lady’s name, I explained to Rachel that should I ever run into DeMarcus, I would gladly mention his number one fan to him. I then gave her my business card that has my contact information on it. She started communicating immediately.”
Over the last year, Rogers has kept in constant communication with Mirabella. According to Mirabella, she sends sweet messages, Facetimes, and calls on a regular basis. “I have no idea how she does it, but my day can be long and tiring and then out of nowhere, I receive the sweetest little message or voicemail from Rachel. She is such a bright, shining star in this world that can sometimes be dark and dim.”
Mirabella smiled, “At the beginning of almost every message or call, Rachel always asks about Jay DeMarcus and have I told him about his number one fan yet. Unfortunately, I always have to say no.”
And then this happened…
The next summer, Mirabella was again on assignment, this time in Jackson covering the Miss Tennessee Volunteer pageant where two local women were competing.
Jay DeMarcus and his wife, Allison, were co-hosting the event. After the first night of competition, Mirabella made her way to the stage to interview both local contestants. It was at that time, she remembered her friend, Rachel. She explained, “Just moments before heading back stage, it hit me and I said to myself, I have got to let DeMarcus know about Rachel. I had forgotten all about Rachel’s dream of hearing from DeMarcus until just those few minutes prior. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I knew immediately what I had to do.”
Mirabella found DeMarcus on stage and briefly explained Rachel’s love for him and the band. Mirabella said after telling DeMarcus of his “number one fan,” he did not hesitate to make her a video.
“Filming that 17 second video for Rachel seemed like no big-deal at the time,” Mirabella said on Monday. “However, I later learned it was a dream come true for Rachel and then I realized the significance of following my heart.”
After the video and interviews were completed, Mirabella tagged Rogers in the video on Facebook. It was after 10 p.m. On the long ride home from Jackson, Mirabella received a call from an emotional Rogers. “She was whispering and crying,” she described. “Rachel said my parents are asleep, so I have to be quiet, but I just saw your video and that is my lifelong dream coming true. I am so happy.”
An early birthday present
Through the Best Buddies program, Rogers has been able to meet some of her favorite celebrities, but to her, the moment that Jay DeMarcus said her name and thanked her for being his fan, will always remain the most amazing day of her life. “I couldn’t believe it when he said my name and that he loved me,” Rogers said just after watching the video the first time. “He was talking just to me and it has made my life so happy.”
As coincidence would have it, the very next day was Rogers’ 27th birthday.
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