Taylor Swift is assisting a baby girl with cancer and her family with their mounting medical bills.
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On Friday, the 35-year-old pop star quietly donated to the parents of a 2-year-old girl named Lilah. Lilah was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer after having a seizure when she was just 18 months old.
For months, Lilah’s mom, Katelynn Smoot, has been sharing her daughter’s story on social media and fundraising for her treatment through a GoFundMe page set up in March.
Swift was mentioned last week when Katelynn posted a TikTok video titled “Stand with Lilah,” showing her 2-year-old calling the “Life of a Showgirl” singer her “friend” while watching a video of Swift on her iPad.
“This might be my fault,” Katelynn joked in the caption of the Oct. 8 clip, which also showed footage of her attending Swift’s Eras Tour while pregnant with Lilah.
@standwithlilah So this might be my fault. Also Lilahs name was originally going to be Willow. We were set on that name my whole pregnancy but ultimately ended on Lilah. I listened to Taylor my whole pregnancy and then birthed a mini swiftie. Lilah loves Taylor’s music and during her cancer treatment she always found joy in it. I hope Lilah gets through this diagnosis and gets to one day go to a Taylor Swift concert in person. I know she would love it. #swiftie ♬ original sound – The Wiggles
“Lilah’s name was originally going to be Willow,” Katelynn added, referring to Swift’s 2020 song. “We were set on that name my whole pregnancy, but ultimately ended on Lilah.”
“I listened to Taylor my whole pregnancy and then birthed a mini Swiftie. Lilah loves Taylor’s music and during her cancer treatment, she always found joy in it,” Katelynn further explained. “I hope Lilah gets through this diagnosis and gets to one day go to a Taylor Swift concert in person. I know she would love it.”
According to the GoFundMe page, Lilah has an extremely rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, with only 58 documented cases in the U.S. last year.
Lilah underwent surgery to remove a brain mass and recovered well. Her treatment now involves three months of chemotherapy, three months of stem cell treatment, and proton radiation, which requires four-week hospital stays and travel to a distant children’s hospital.
Taylor Swift Sends Toddler Fan “the Biggest Hug”
Just over a week later, Katelynn’s heartfelt video reached Swift. On Friday, the “So High School” singer donated $100,000 to the GoFundMe.
“Sending the biggest hug to my friend, Lilah!” Swift penned underneath her donation. “Love, Taylor.”
Swift’s donation pushed the family’s fundraising total to nearly $160,000, surpassing their initial $100,000 goal.
In a video shared on Friday, Katelynn expressed that the donation would allow them to “just focus on being here with our girl.”
@standwithlilah I cannot say thank you enough. I’m truly in shock. This means we don’t have to worry about anything other than Lilah. Truly such a blessing. Thank you @Taylor Swift ♬ original sound – The Smoots
The heartwarming video also showed Lilah thanking the pop star and once again referring to her as “my friend.”
Meanwhile, as of this writing, the GoFundMe has raised over $225,000.