Pop star Ed Sheeran made a young girl's dreams come true when he serenaded her at her hospital bed.

Nine-year-old Melody Meadows, who suffers from Rett syndrome, is described as a Sheeran superfan. Her parents launched a campaign to persuade the Grammy award winning singer to meet her at Epsom Hospital.

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Writing on Twitter, Karina Driscoll said: "My gorgeous little girl Melody absolutely LOVES Ed Sheeran. we are determined to make her dream of meeting him come true."

And they did. Paying her a surprise visit, the pop star presented Melody with a signed pink guitar.

He then sang two of his hit songs, Thinking Out Loud and Photograph to everyone's delight.

In a heartwarming video, Melody is seen beaming broadly as she sits face-to-face with her idol.

While her condition leaves her in constant pain, doctors said that listening to the singer's dulcet tones helps her to cope with the pain. "One of the problems is constant pain and she's on morphine," a member of staff from the Casey Ward told Sheeran. "But we put you on and it helps."

Speaking about the surprise visit, Dr Ruth Charlton said: "We are so touched that Ed would take the time out of his busy schedule to visit Melody and the other young patients on the ward.

"Melody was mesmerised by Ed, and it was a truly wonderful to see how happy he made her. We would like to thank Ed for coming – this was a very special day for our staff, our patients and of course, Melody."

Melody's mum Karina, who launched the campaign for Melody to meet Ed, told Mail Online: "Melody absolutely loves Ed's music, and his lyrics mean so much to us as a family. It was amazing to meet Ed, and everyone could see just how impressed Melody was – she even got hugs and kisses from him.

"We joke that Ed is Melody's boyfriend because she is so taken with him, and now that she's met him in person a dream has come true. Ed's music and the staff here, including Melody's consultant Dr Tim Marr, have kept her alive."

Commenting on the singer's warm demeanour, ward manager Karen Kilday, added: "It was wonderful to see Ed on the ward and to see the joy that it brought to Melody.

"His caring and relaxed approach were evident to see and everyone on the ward that day will remember the visit and this lovely moment forever."

Rett syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects all body movement. While the painful condition can be somewhat alleviated through physiotherapy, there is no cure and those affected have a reduced life expectancy.

Ed Sheeran