FILE – Taylor Swift performs at Wembley Stadium as part of her Eras Tour June 21, 2024, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)
When Katelynn Smoot got a call from her husband saying Grammy award-winning pop superstar Taylor Swift had just donated $100,000 to their daughter’s GoFundMe, her first reaction wasn’t joy. Katelynn thought it was a prank.
“At first, I thought he was joking,” Katelynn recalled. “For about 30 minutes, we questioned if it was real.”
The Smoot family had been living through a nightmare since their 2-year-old daughter Lilah was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of brain cancer. Ever since the diagnosis, Katelynn had been sharing Lilah’s journey online with moments of hope, heartbreak and courage, while raising funds for her treatment through GoFundMe.
Then, on Oct. 17, everything changed. A viral TikTok showing Lilah dancing to Swift’s music had caught the pop star’s attention. Soon after, the singer quietly made a $100,000 donation, leaving a note that read, “Sending the biggest hug to my friend, Lilah!”
Still, the Smoots couldn’t believe it. “We saw so many scams online, so when my husband called from the airport to tell me, I thought he was teasing,” Katelynn said. But when the donation appeared on the back end of GoFundMe, complete with Swift’s message, the truth finally sank in. “That’s when I knew Taylor really saw the video — and she meant it.”
The surreal moment brought an emotional wave of relief and gratitude. “Knowing that she saw our video makes me so happy,” Katelynn told PEOPLE. “The donation is incredible — it helps us so much — but the fact that she took the time to watch, to care, to send that message…it means everything.”
When the family filmed a thank-you video for the pop star, little Lilah pointed at the iPad screen and said, “That is my friend.”
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