“Sending the biggest hug to my friend, Lilah!” Swift wrote alongside the donation, which inspired even more gestures of generosity among her fans
In early October 2025, a woman named Katelynn Smoot shared a touching video of her young daughter, who is battling cancer, watching the music video for “The Fate of Ophelia”, from Taylor Swift. In the video, the little Lilah points to the screen and says, “That’s my friend!”
The video quickly went viral, with fans flooding the page @standwithlilah of Smoot on social media with messages of love and support for Lilahwho faces an aggressive form of brain cancer. Just a few weeks later, on Friday, Lilah received an exciting surprise from her “friend” Swift — a donation of US$100,000 to his GoFundMefocused on medical treatment, accompanied by a loving message: “Sending the biggest hug to my friend, Lilah! With love, Taylor.”
@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
Swift’s discreet donation, noted by Swiftiesinspired other fans of the pop star to follow suit, contributing to the fundraiser in increments of $13, in honor of her favorite number Swift. At the time of publication, fundraising had already exceeded US$206,000, with donations from more than 4,000 people.
After the six-figure donation, Smoot shared a video of her and Lilah dancing to the sound of “The Life of Ophelia”, reacting to the news and expressing gratitude for the generosity of Swift. “Thank you beyond words, Taylor Swift. Now we can just focus on being here with our girl. We are truly so grateful… You have no idea what this means to our family,” she wrote in the caption of the post.
On the page, Smoot shares her and her daughter’s love for Swift — and tells how she gave birth to a “little Swiftie” after watching the Eras Tour while she was still pregnant. “The name of the Lilah originally it would be willow”, he explained Smoot in a video, referencing the track Folklore (2020). “We were determined to use that name throughout the pregnancy, but in the end we ended up choosing Lilah.”
@standwithlilah I didn’t know they were friends 😂 @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation #fateofopheliataylorswift #TLOASG #taylorswift ♬ original sound – The Smoots
On the GoFundMe page, which has been active since Lilah began chemotherapy in March 2025, Smoot explained that the baby was diagnosed with a “very rare and aggressive form of brain cancer” earlier this year after suffering a seizure. An MRI scan detected a stage 4 tumor, which was removed in March, and since then she has been undergoing chemotherapy. In an update published in August, the Smoot informed donors about the progress of the treatment.
“After [de uma ressonância e uma punção lombar]she will begin six weeks of proton radiation therapy, for which our family will need to travel to the [Hospital Infantil da Filadélfia]”, they wrote. “We will be a few hundred kilometers from home. All donations we receive will help us with travel expenses and paying bills, as we continue to be unable to work while Lilah is undergoing treatment.”
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Source: Rollingstone
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
