Queen of Pop Madonna brought her daughter Chifundo Mercy James onstage with her in Lisbon on Tuesday night to wish her a happy 14th birthday.
‘The best birthday present I can give you,’ the Michigan-born 61-year-old said at Portugal’s Coliseu dos Recreios, ‘is to teach you to never settle for second best.’
Backstage during the nightly group prayer, the seven-time Grammy winner called her privileged teenager ‘truly compassionate’ and revealed her name Chifundo translates to mercy.
Madge (born Ciccone) beamed with pride as ‘happy’ Mercy said she ‘really looks up to’ her and thanked her for giving ‘me a life that I would never have if you didn’t adopt me.’
‘Even though sometimes I’m like, “Oh my god, I can’t deal right now.” But I really love you and I want to thank you for everything, Mom,’ the not-so-typical teen gushed.
Mercy was a four-year-old orphan suffering from Malaria when Madonna adopted her in 2007, which led to a three-year legal battle due to her two divorces.
In 2017, the Raising Malawi founder opened The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care at Queen Central Hospital in Malawi in her honor.
