Taylor Swift has donated $100,000 (£74,500) to a GoFundMe campaign for a young fan who is battling brain cancer.
Katelynn Smoot has been sharing TikTok videos in recent weeks in which her daughter Lilah has been dancing to the video for Swift’s ‘The Fate Of Ophelia’, and in one the girl points at the screen and says, “That’s my friend!”
Lilah started chemotherapy in March for a “very rare aggressive form of brain cancer” and her mother launched a crowdfunding campaign to help with medical care.
@standwithlilah I didn’t know they were friends 😂 @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation #fateofopheliataylorswift #TLOASG #taylorswift
With the videos having gone viral, the GoFundMe received a huge $100,000 donation on Friday (October 17), which was accompanied by the message: “Sending the biggest hug to my friend, Lilah! Love, Taylor.”
Her huge contribution also prompted many Swifties to follow suit, with many donating $13 in tribute to Swift’s favourite number. As of writing, the campaign has raised over $218,000 against its initial goal of $100,000. You can donate here.
Smoot posted a video of her and Lilah dancing to ‘The Life Of Ophelia’ and thanking Swift for her generosity: “Thank you beyond words, Taylor Swift. We can now just focus on being here with our girl. Truly, we are so grateful…You have no idea what this means to our family.”
@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
Elsewhere, Swifties have also raised over $2million for Monterey Bay Aquarium after the singer wore a vintage shirt with sea otters on it in her ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ film, which was released in cinemas ahead of the album’s release this month.
A museum in Wiesbaden, Germany has also seen a huge surge in attendance after Swifties noticed one of its paintings bore a striking resemblance to the opening scene of ‘The Fate Of Ophelia’.
Swift achieved her 15th US Number One record with ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’. The album also set a new record for first-week sales with just over 4 million equivalent album units, breaking Adele’s long-held streaming-era record.
NME gave ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ three stars, writing: “To seek escapism is not a sin, but the best pop music makes the personal feel like life or death. ‘Speak Now’, ‘Reputation’, ‘Folklore’: her greatest works could be genuinely transformative. For the first time, ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ sees Swift not catalysed into artistic growth by love, but merely comfortably secured by it.”
Swift also recently announced a new six-part docuseries charting her record-breaking ‘Eras Tour’.
