Platinum Artist Befriends Inspiring Local Man with a Disability

CLEARWATER, Fla. – 2019 has been a banner year for Andrew Brettner, in no small part thanks to multi-platinum recording artist Andy Grammer.

On Friday, October 11th, Brettner and his mother met Grammer during a special backstage meet-and-greet before Grammer’s performance at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida. The unique fan experience came to fruition after Grammer was moved by an inspiring video of Brettner, put together by the Clearwater-based nonprofit Help Us Gather.

Brettner, who lives in St. Petersburg, was born prematurely and has dealt with a myriad of health issues throughout his life. He is currently working on walking for the first time, with the goal of walking down the aisle to marry his girlfriend one day.

After seeing the impact that Grammer’s inspirational song, “Don’t Give Up On Me” had on Brettner, Help Us Gather (HUG) created a video showcasing his determination. Grammer was inspired by Brettner, and sent back a video response encouraging Brettner to keep working and striving for his dream of walking.

Brettner thought that was the end of their interactions, but when HUG found out Brettner would be at Grammer’s Orlando concert, the nonprofit worked with Small Giant, Grammer’s management team, to give Brettner a chance to meet his favorite singer.

Robin Lally, Founder of HUG said, “This is a truly unique experience that not everyone gets. Mr. Grammer and his management team went out of their way to show kindness and encouragement to Andrew. Knowing that one of his heroes is on his side has given him more motivation than ever to walk.”

Grammer is just finishing up his 2019 "Don’t Give Up On Me Tour", featuring the lead single, “Don’t Give Up On Me”, from his fourth studio album, Naive, which was released on July 26, 2019. Available tour dates can be found at https://andygrammer.com.