Two-year-old Lilah Smoot had a seizure at home, and an MRI revealed a tumour on her brain, which, despite being removed, was a very uncommon cancer.
A mum thought Taylor Swift’s $100,000 (£75,000) donation to her daughter’s GoFundMe amid her gruelling cancer journey was a joke.
Katelynn Smoot’s life was shattered when her then 18-month-old daughter Lilah was diagnosed with ATRT — atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour — a very rare and aggressive tumour. She shared her family’s journey on Instagram and TikTok, and a video of her toddler dancing to Swift’s tune Fortnight.
Swift, a 35-year-old woman, immediately donated the sizable sum to the fundraiser, increasing its value by a third. The treatment Lilah needs now fits her budget. Knowing that Swift saw our video makes me enthralled, said mother-of-two Katelynn.
The donation is incredible, but it means a lot that she took the time to watch, care, and communicate that message. The Swifties ran after her donation, which led to her death. She’s almost doubled her donation right now. Thank you is something I feel inadequate for.
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As ATRT is so rare, there is only one known treatment pathway — and it involves two rounds of induction chemotherapy, three rounds of high-dose chemo with stem cell rescue, and six weeks of proton radiation. The family’s closest children’s hospitals do not offer all of the treatment plan, such as the proton radiation.
There is a 100% chance that Lilah will pass away if you don’t treat her cancer. There aren’t many treatment options because it’s so uncommon; “Katelynn, from North Carolina, continued. There is really only one protocol that has been used for the past 25 years.”
The brave youngster has overcome all of her difficulties, and her mother earlier this month captured her on camera dancing to Fortnight. Lilah, now two, looked at the screen and said, “That’s my friend,” mid-dance. The adorable clip was shared on Katelynn’s social media account.
Katelynn continued, “I didn’t even realize what she said at first… That’s your friend, I asked, “What’s your name?” and she responded, “Yes.” And to be honest, they really have a… People really believe Taylor is going to see this, I joked to my husband. You never know, he said to me. But I had no real hopes that she would.
Swift, who has 14 Grammys, was able to see the video. Tyler, Katelynn’s husband, called his wife to let her know about her donation after seeing it. Katelynn was certain he was ending her, but a GoFundMe message less than an hour later left her confused.
The mum told People: “At first, I thought he was joking. For about 30 minutes, we questioned if it was real. But then we saw it come through on the back end of GoFundMe, along with a message that said, ‘Sending you the biggest hug to my friend Lilah.’ That’s when I knew Taylor really saw the video — and she meant it.”
Lilah saw the artist on the iPad and once more said, “That is my friend,” as they filmed a thank-you message. The singer’s family has not spoken to him, but they did express gratitude last night.
She said, “She’s a very busy woman, and what she did was more than enough.” I’m just hoping she realizes our gratitude. She reportedly extended the biggest hug to us, Katelynn said.
It’s just that she has a happy life, no matter how short or long it may be, she says to be completely accurate about her hopes and dreams (Lilah). I just want her life to be joyful, full of experiences, and memories.
Source: Mirror
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