In 1983, Journey was at the top of their game. With the success of albums Escape and Frontiers, the band was selling out concerts, the song “Open Arms” had hit number two on the charts, and they were involved in a couple of business ventures. Journey was one of the top touring and recording bands of the time. While success and super stardom had encompassed the band’s musical career, a child named Kenny Sykaluk would impact them far more than any number on the chart.
During the early years of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Journey was contacted about a child living in Cleveland. Kenny Sykaluk’s mother sent a letter to the foundation asking if her son could meet the band. He was one of their biggest fans and it was his wish to meet them in person. The foundation later contacted Journey and they flew out to a Cleveland hospital to see him. When Journey arrived, Kenny was in the final stages of his life-long battle with cystic fibrosis. The band brought with them a football helmet signed by the San Francisco 49ers, an autographed Journey platinum album award, and a Walkman. The Walkman, although deemed a small token to most, contained a very rare gift. Journey had finished recording the song “Only the Young” and presented it to Kenny on the Walkman. Sykaluk was the first person to hear the song outside of the band and it brought him immense joy.
Kenny’s joy and subsequent passing the next day with the Walkman deeply impacted the members of Journey. In the VH1 documentary Behind the Music, Jonathan Cain remembers him with tears stating, “children shouldn’t have to live with that kind of pain (behindthemusic).” Cain wasn’t the only member affected by the meeting. Steve Perry was equally impacted. Nurses brought him to another hospital room afterwards because he lost it emotionally. The meeting also brought into focus a lot of perspective to the band during a time when tensions were high. Neal Schon recalls that it changed his outlook on life, “the things you were making a big deal out of, maybe, aren’t so big (behindthemusic).” Journey left Kenny’s bedside dedicating the song “Only the Young” as Kenny’s song. The band would open their Raised on Radio tour with that song in memory of him, and Jonathan Cain became one of Make-A-Wish Foundation’s very first celebrity supporters.
The meeting that day in Cleveland during the eighties brought a perspective to the band. Life was forever impacted by a boy named Kenny Sykaluk and his desire to meet his idols. Kenny’s joy over hearing “Only the Young” on a Walkman changed things for them. Journey returned with a new appreciation for what really mattered.
-Jenna Jakes, WOGB
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