Taylor Swift is making a profound impact on a deserving family. The "Fate of Ophelia" singer has donated a generous $100,000 to a 2-year-old fan named Lilah Smoot, amid her battle with stage 4 brain cancer. Along with the gift, Taylor left an uplifting message for the toddler, who referred to the 35-year-old as her "friend" in a TikTok video shared by her mom Katelynn Smoot on October 8.
"Sending the biggest hug to my friend, Lilah!" the Grammy winner wrote on a GoFundMe page run by the young Swiftie's family. "Love, Taylor."
Lilah's cancer journey began when she was rushed to the hospital after suffering a seizure at 18 months old. Upon arrival, doctors found a mass on her brain, which they determined to be a stage 4 tumor. While the tumor was successfully removed, Lilah was later diagnosed with a "very rare, aggressive form of brain cancer" with only 58 documented cases in the U.S. last year, according to the GoFundMe page.
Following Taylor's donation, Katelynn shared a heartfelt message of gratitude to the singer for her generosity. "I cannot say thank you enough," she wrote in a post on TikTok on October 17. "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."
Katelynn also noted that the donation lifted the financial burden from her family as they navigated Lilah's treatment. "We now can just focus on being here with our girl," she wrote in onscreen text on the clip. "Truly we are so incredibly grateful."
Of course, Taylor's generosity is nothing new. In March 2021, she and her mom Andrea Swift jointly donated $50,000 to help mom-of-five Vickie Quarles after her husband Theodis Ray Quarles died of COVID-19. Following the donation, Vickie told E! News she was "incredibly grateful" for all the donations she received, highlighting Taylor and Andrea's "thoughtfulness and generosity."
"The road ahead will definitely not be the same without Theodis," she said at the time. "But with each day, I am humbled and anchored in hope that I can continue to raise the girls to be as compassionate and caring as all of you."
