Taylor Swift donates $100K to help North Carolina toddler fight brain cancer, family expresses overwhelming gratitude

Pop superstar and global icon Taylor Swift has donated $100,000 to support 2-year-old Lilah Smoot, a toddler from Madison, who is battling a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. The donation was made on October 17, 2025, through the family's GoFundMe campaign, which had been active since March.

Lilah's mother, Katelynn Smoot, was taken by surprise when her husband checked the GoFundMe account and discovered the substantial donation. Katelynn expressed her gratitude in a TikTok video.

"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."


The family runs a TikTok account called ‘standwithlilah,’ where they cover the 2-year-old’s fight against cancer. Katelynn explained that sharing their journey online also helps her cope with life’s challenges.

"I've always used TikTok like a diary. It's a way for me to cope and process my emotions. The good and the bad. My husband and I are very positive and reasonable people," she said. "Childhood cancer is very dark and sad. If we can't find a reason to smile at the end of the day, then we would just lose ourselves to the endless sadness that comes with this kind of diagnosis. I just want to be happy while Lilah is here and make as many good memories as we can."

While Katelynn was in labor with her son, Lilah experienced a seizure. A doctor informed her that Lilah was in the emergency room downstairs and had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Although Lilah typically receives treatment at Duke University Hospital, the family is currently at a children's hospital in Philadelphia, where she is undergoing radiation therapy.

"The treatment she is getting now is proton radiation. Duke has photon radiation, but they do not have a proton. Proton is a lot more precise and hopefully won't damage any healthy brain tissue. Radiation is not favorable for children under 3 years old, so we had to travel to get the radiation with the least amount of side effects," Katelynn told ABC11.