Twelve-year-old Naomi Oakes from Arizona is a huge fan of pop star Taylor Swift. So much so that she bought tickets for her “1989 World Tour” concert in her hometown of Phoenix in August 2015.
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Sadly, Naomi was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and was unable to attend the concert due to having treatment for the disease. However, even though Naomi couldn’t make the concert, she still took strength from Taylor Swift by using her song “Bad Blood” as an anthem to help her fight the childhood blood cancer.
The family made a video of Naomi called “Naomi’s Bad Blood” (watch it above) which chronicles Naomi’s fight against the disease. A family friend uploaded the video onto the internet and it went viral, eventually coming to the attention of Taylor Swift herself.
Swift was so moved by Naomi’s story and fight that she donated $50,000 to her GoFundMe page to help cover the extensive medicals costs involved with treating her disease. Swift’s generous donation helped Naomi to smash her original target of $30,000, raising over $82,000 in total.
Naomi needed to stay in the hospital for the duration of her treatment, which turned out to be five months, but she bravely fought the disease and is now in remission.
Earlier this year, Naomi’s mom, Shannon Oakes, discovered Taylor Swift was going to be performing in Austin, Texas, so she decided to buy tickets for the show as a surprise for her daughter.
Keeping the tickets a secret, Shannon also reached out to Swift’s management with the hope of arranging a meet and greet–and they agreed! Last week Naomi and her best friend Piper were given priority seats at the show and taken backstage afterward to meet their hero in person. Find out more about this awesome story here.
Read about Teddy “T-Bear” and how he is helping to fight childhood leukemia.
Lymphoma News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
