ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24\/7. Click here to watch<\/a><\/p>\n“It’s really nice, making people happy,” said Vernon Hills High School junior John Ziegelbauer. “It’s like spreading a nice message.”<\/p>\n
For Ziegelbauer, this special performance for Lurie Children’s Hospital is, in many ways, his way of saying, “thank you.”<\/p>\n
“I love the concept of saying, ‘thank you.’ The staff is so great here, and there were just so many nice people I met here,” Ziegelbauer said.<\/p>\n
During his freshman year, Ziegelbauer was diagnosed with a rare chronic disease, making it nearly impossible for him to eat and drink without support.<\/p>\n
He was admitted to Lurie Children’s Hospital for about three weeks during his freshman year, potentially jeopardizing his dream of singing with the Vernon Hills High School Chamber Choir.<\/p>\n
“I was really concerned about being able to sing again,” Ziegelbauer said. “You almost forget about singing because it’s impossible to sing.”<\/p>\n
Michelle Moran, Ziegelbauer’s mother, says even though her son was discharged from the hospital, he is still facing a lifetime of lifestyle changes, like changing his diet, to control the disease.<\/p>\n
“It’s incredibly difficult when your child is sick,” Moran said.<\/p>\n
Despite the new obstacles, Ziegelbauer never wavered on his musical ambitions.<\/p>\n
“Just so proud of him. Really, really proud of him. He just never gave up,” Moran said.<\/p>\n
He was ultimately selected to perform in the school’s chamber choir, making him one of the group’s youngest members at the time.<\/p>\n
“To see where he started to where he is now, to see that he’s stuck with it,” said Vernon Hills Chamber Choir Director Jeremy Little. “To watch that quiet behind-the-scenes growth is pretty awesome.”<\/p>\n
It is a moving holiday message for all of us to never give up or to lose hope.<\/p>\n
“The thought of performing for the people who helped me, it’s nice feeling, like, maybe I am helping them,” Ziegelbauer said.<\/p>\n
Looking to the future, Ziegelbauer says he hopes to pursue a career in health care after receiving care at Lurie Children’s Hospital.<\/p>\n
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