Taylor Swift Visits 10-Year-Old Cancer Patient
Tender-hearted country-pop superstar Taylor Swift fulfilled an ailing little girl's dream on Saturday (March 9). The singer made a special visit to Omaha's Children's Hospital & Medical Center to visit a young fan who's been battling cancer.
10-year-old Lauren Hacker is a patient at the facility, and her family and friends have been lobbying for her to meet Swift via a social media campaign. Swift became aware of Hacker's wish to meet her after seeing a YouTube video of her song 'You Belong With Me,' with the lyrics changed to address the girl and her battle with acute myelogenous leukemia.
“Taylor Swift stopped by Lauren’s room at the hospital around 1PM in the afternoon," Hacker's father posted on their family blog (quote via Gossip Cop). "She spent about an hour chatting with Lauren ... [who] played a song on the electronic piano keyboard that she got for her birthday.”
“Taylor was very impressed,” he added, saying the singer “shared stories from her childhood as she was getting her start as an entertainer and she told us all about the special stage designs of her new show.”
“Just before she had to leave, Taylor got out a bag of goodies for Lauren and provided autographs on notebooks, photographs and guitar picks," he shared. "It was a great afternoon for everyone and I’m sure Lauren will remember it for many years to come.”
Of course, Swift has a longstanding reputation for helping kids with health struggles. Last year she wrote a special song in memory Ronan Thompson, 3, who died of a neuroblastoma. Swift performed 'Ronan' at the televised 'Stand Up to Cancer' telethon.