Taylor Swift Gives $100,000 to Help North Carolina Toddler Fighting Brain Cancer

A $100,000 gift from Taylor Swift appeared on Oct. 17 to aid a North Carolina toddler's fight against brain cancer. The funds landed in a GoFundMe account for 2-year-old Lilah Smoot, who got her diagnosis of atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) last winter.

Lilah's story caught Swift's attention after seeing a viral TikTok clip of the tiny fan dancing to "Fortnight." The sweet moment showed Lilah pointing at Swift's image, saying, "That's my friend."

Many commenters tagged Swift. "I joked to my husband, 'People really think Taylor's going to see this,'" said Katelynn Smoot, Lilah's mother, in her People exclusive. 

Then Tyler Smoot, Katelynn's husband, called to tell her Swift had just donated $100,000 to the family's GoFundMe. 

"At first, I thought he was joking. For about 30 minutes, we questioned if it was real," said Katelynn in her talk with People. "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."

A seizure on Feb. 24 led doctors to spot a mass in Lilah's brain. Surgery on March 3 removed the growth, but tests brought grim news —  it was stage 4 ATRT, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer.

The news crushed the family. "We just cried. We cried for three days straight," Katelynn told People. Now they face an intense medical battle with rounds of chemo, stem cell therapy, and radiation. Treatment is split between Duke Children's Hospital in Durham and Philadelphia's Children's Hospital.

"With Lilah's cancer, if you don't treat it, there's a 100 percent chance she's going to die. Because it's so rare, there aren't many treatment options — there's really only one protocol that's been used for the past 25 years," Katelynn told People.

Swift's act sparked a wave of giving. "Her donation started this, and the Swifties took it and ran. They've almost doubled her donation now. I can't find enough ways to say thank you," Katelynn said in her People interview.

Through @standwithlilah on TikTok and Instagram, the Smoots share their story to shine light on childhood cancer. The family's GoFundMe page stays open for those who want to help with Lilah's care costs.