Country newcomer Jordan Rager recently visited St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and before he got there, he was expecting a day of heartbreaking stories followed by a few manly tears running from his eyes. But the opposite was true.

"When I first heard we were going to St. Jude and were gonna get a tour of the hospital, I was expecting a cryfest to be honest with you," Rager reveals during Country Cares, which took place earlier this year. "And that’s the farthest thing from what it is. You walk through these halls and it’s incredibly positive and the kids are running around playing with their toys and their friends ... and it’s just like regular kids."

This was Rager's first time at St. Jude, and on his very first day, he even made a new friend, a little boy named Mac recovering from bone cancer. Mac is just like any other little boy his age, getting into trouble, jumping off of beds and rolling around. But because of his illness, Mac had to lose one of his legs and is now walking with a prosthetic. Of course, a fun-loving boy and a prosthetic leg is a combination that's just waiting to be broken.

"You would never know that he was sick, he was just a regular dude running around, chasing the girls, wanting to talk to them ... and he’s talking basketball, and hockey," Rager shares. "His mom told me he’s broken his prosthetic a couple of times because he’s a boy and he’s jumping off beds, rolling through everything. So that really stood out to me. He’s just living like a regular kid, he just happened to get sick."

Rager just recently released his debut single "Southern Boy," which features country megastar Jason Aldean. And although the young singer's career dreams are starting to come true, he wants his fans to remember what country music has always been about.

"Country music has always been about real things and real people, and what they go through," the singer says, "And real people are out there going through this and God Bless St. Jude for helping them out."

On March 3 and 4, Taste of Country will join 15 Townsquare Media stations in support of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This two-day web and radiothon aims to raise money and awareness for the world class research and treatment facility in Memphis, Tenn. Now in its third year, this collaborative effort has raised nearly $2.5 million. Country radio has helped raise more than $550 million during 26 years worth of Country Cares radiothons. The mission is simple: raise money, save lives.

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