Dolly Parton reaches out to local resident battling cancer

ELKTON, Ky. (WBKO) - Ann Marie Davis, a dentist practicing in Scottsville, received the surprise of a lifetime when she received a video message from the one and only Dolly Parton.

Last year, Davis was diagnosed with cancer and started undergoing treatment.

She underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and was reevaluated.

The treatment did not work, and she found out the cancer had metastasized to other parts of her body becoming stage 4.

She is now undergoing different treatments and finding success with those.

Before her diagnosis, she and her sister had planned a trip to Dolly’s Graduate Nashville hotel.

Those plans were put on hold.

Her sister, Kim Rager, is a guidance counselor at Todd County Middle School where she and Davis attended school.

The staff described Rager as their rock, someone who “holds this school together.”

In addition to her passion for counseling, Rager is an artist that loves to paint.

One of her most visible works being the Elkton mural on the town square.

“Art is the way I communicate my feelings,” Rager said. “It is my happy escape from things that are sometimes very hard.”

Hearing about her sister’s diagnosis was one of the hardest things for her to process, and it inspired her to paint after she had put it aside for a while.

Rager wanted to paint something that would make Davis happy and give her joy every time she saw it.

Knowing that her sister was a fan of Dolly Parton, she decided to paint a portrait of the singer as a gift.

It was when that painting was near completion that Rager wanted to add a special little touch to add extra meaning to the piece.

She took to social media and asked if anyone had contact details for Parton to see if the superstar would be able to add her signature to the painting.

Within 24 hours, she had gotten a surprise that was even more touching.

Someone from Parton’s team reached out to Rager and sent her a video with personal messages for both her and Davis.

(STORY CONTINUE BELOWS VIDEO)

I’m still in disbelief over the amount of kindness and willingness to help get a simple signature on a painting for Ann Marie. I have received countless number of messages from people who have reached out to Dolly and my heart is so full. Dolly is unable to sign my painting due to filming a movie but she did send this very special video to Ann Marie. She is such an incredible person to take time to do this. I got to share a very special smile via FT with my sister and her family as they watched Dolly’s message. THANK YOU ALL!
Posted by Kim Daniel Rager on Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Davis had seen the painting throughout its progression, but had no idea that Kim was painting it as a gift to her.

She loved it and when she found out it was for her “it made it even that much more special.”

The addition of the personal video and everyone that reached out to Dolly on their behalf made them feel overwhelming gratitude for the community.

Both Rager and Davis are thankful for everyone’s support and kindness over the past year.

Davis wanted to also thank the staff and dentists at her clinic for taking care of things while she is getting treatment and recovering.

Rager set out to make a gift that would make her sister smile, but the power of social media made it much more than that.

“The community, friends, and Dolly Parton gave her so much more than just a smile,” Rager said. “We’ve gotten to forget about cancer for a few days and lots of laughs and giggles.”

This past weekend, Davis was well enough to go with Rager and visit The Graduate Nashville.