Taylor Swift donates $100K to GoFundMe for Lilah cancer care

Taylor Swift donated $100,000 on Friday to the GoFundMe campaign for a 2-year-old fan, Lilah Smoot, who is undergoing treatment for a rare, aggressive form of brain cancer, the toddler’s family said. The contribution, accompanied by a brief message from Swift, pushed the fundraiser well past its initial target and prompted an outpouring of additional donations from fans and others.

Swift left the message on the family’s fundraiser page on October 17, writing, “Sending the biggest hug to my friend, Lilah! Love, Taylor.” The singer’s gift followed a viral video posted by Lilah’s mother, Katelynn Smoot, in which the child watched one of Swift’s music videos and pointed at the screen, saying, “That’s my friend.” The clip was shared October 8 on the family’s social accounts as part of regular updates about Lilah’s treatment.

Lilah was rushed to hospital after a seizure at 18 months, and an MRI identified a mass that doctors determined to be a stage 4 tumor, the family says on the fundraiser page. The tumor was surgically removed in March and Lilah has since been receiving chemotherapy. The family wrote that after a recent MRI and lumbar puncture she is slated to begin six weeks of...