Overview
- The Smoot family confirmed Swift’s $100,000 GoFundMe contribution, which included the note, “Sending you the biggest hug to my friend Lilah.”
- Katelynn Smoot initially thought the donation was a prank before verifying it on the platform’s back end; the family reports no further contact with Swift.
- Swift’s contribution spurred a wave of fan giving, with “Swifties” nearly doubling the total raised after her gift.
- Lilah, 2, was diagnosed with the rare brain cancer ATRT following complete tumor removal in March and is undergoing the standard protocol of induction chemotherapy, high-dose chemo with stem-cell rescue, and proton radiation.
- Because proton therapy is unavailable at Duke Children’s Hospital, the family temporarily relocated to Philadelphia for treatment at CHOP, while sharing updates on TikTok and Instagram.