Taylor Swift Reveals Mom's Cancer Battle in Emotional Note
Taylor Swift penned a touching note Thursday announcing that her mother, Andrea Swift, 57, has been diagnosed with cancer. (Photo: Kevin Mazur/Wireimage)
Everything has changed for Taylor Swift. The singer shared the heartbreaking news on tumblr Thursday morning that her mother, Andrea Swift, is battling cancer.
“I’m saddened to tell you that my mom has been diagnosed with cancer,“ the singer, 25, wrote in her post that more than 58,000 fans have already noted in support. Describing the update as one that “I wish I wasn’t giving you,” the star explained that she is spreading the devastating news at the 57-year-old’s request.
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“Usually when things happen to me, I process them and then write music about how I feel, and you hear it much later,” she writes. “This is something my family and I thought you should know about now.” Even in her sickness, the mother urged her daughter to think of others.
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“She wanted you to know because your parents may be too busy juggling everything they’ve got going on to go to the doctor,” writes Swift. “And maybe you reminding them to go get checked for cancer could possibly lead to an early diagnosis and an easier battle…Or peace of mind in knowing that they’re healthy and there’s nothing to worry about.”
Cancer — the second most common cause of death in the U.S., accounting for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths, according to the American Cancer Society — is a foe Swift has already been active in fighting.
She performed at the Stand Up to Cancer telethon in 2012, singing “Ronan,” the song she wrote about a 3-year-old cancer patient inspired by his mother’s blog, Rockstar Ronan. “She told me how she had been reading our blog for over a year, and her parents had been reading it and they were all devastated and touched by it,” the late toddler’s mother Maya Thompson tells the New York Times about a phone call from Swift asking to share the Thompson’s story. “I remember crying and she was crying.” (“Ronan” hit the top of the iTunes chart and Swift has donated all of her royalties from it to cancer charities, reports the Times).
It was at the Grammy winner’s insistence, in fact, that Andrea Swift had the checkup that uncovered her illness. “For Christmas this year, I asked my mom that one of her gifts to me be her going to the doctor to get screened for any health issues, just to ease some worries of mine,” Swift reveals in her tumblr announcement. “She agreed, and went in to get checked. There were no red flags and she felt perfectly fine, but she did it just to get me and my brother off her case about it.“
Now that they know, the family — including Taylor’s dad, Scott Swift, and her brother Austin, 23 — is rallying behind Andrea. The mom, after all, has always been there for them. “There were times when, in middle school and junior high, I didn’t have a lot of friends,” the singer has said. “But my mom was always my friend. Always.” And now it’s Taylor’s turn to be the rock. The star writes: “She’s got an important battle to fight.”
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