The 35-year-old pop star anonymously donated $100,000 to the GoFundMe campaign of a little girl named Lilah, who was diagnosed with stage-4 brain cancer after suffering a seizure at just 18 months old.
Her mother, Katelynn Smoot, has been sharing updates about Lilah’s treatment journey for months, explaining that the family has been raising funds since March to cover her intensive medical care.
In a TikTok video that later went viral, Lilah — now two years old — is seen watching Taylor Swift on an iPad and sweetly calling her “my friend.” Katelynn joked in the caption that it might be her fault, admitting she listened to Taylor’s music constantly during pregnancy and even attended The Eras Tour while expecting 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
“Her name was almost Willow,” Katelynn added, referencing Swift’s 2020 hit. “We changed it to Lilah at the last moment, but she’s been a little Swiftie from the start.”
Lilah’s cancer, an extremely rare and aggressive type, has only had 58 known cases in the U.S. last year. Despite surgery to remove a brain mass, she still faces months of chemotherapy, stem-cell therapy, and proton radiation, requiring long hospital stays far from home.
Swift’s generous donation, made on October 17, pushed the family well past their fundraising goal. She included a short message with the contribution:
“Sending the biggest hug to my friend Lilah! I’m so grateful to you! Love, Taylor.”
The Smoot family was overwhelmed with emotion. In a follow-up video, Katelynn wrote, “Is this real life?” as she and Lilah danced to Swift’s latest song, The Fate of Ophelia.
“I can’t stop crying,” she said. “This allows us to just focus on our girl. We’re forever thankful.”
