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Taylor Swift Visits an 8-Year-Old Fan in the Hospital After She Couldn’t Attend Her Concert
What a sweet story. Taylor Swift took the time out of her busy schedule to visit a fan named Isabella McCune in the hospital after the 8-year-old suffered severe burns and could not attend one of Taylor’s concerts.
The 28-year-old “Delicate” singer was in Glendale, AZ rehearsing for the latest stop in her Reputation Stadium Tour when she learned of Isabella’s injuries. The little Swiftie, who has been staying at the Arizona Burn Center at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, suffered tragic burn wounds after a fire pit explosion that happened on St. Patrick’s Day, and Taylor decided to pay her a visit, according to People.
“Taylor took time out of her busy, busy schedule and sat down on the bed next to Isabella,” Lilly McCune — Isabella’s mother — said. “[Taylor] brought her a bag with goodies from her tour. She said she had to meet her because she was so inspired by her story and honored that her music helped her.”
Her mom explained that Taylor’s music played a big role in Isabella’s recovery. “The times that she was in conscious sedation, where she was given the medication but not aware what was happening, she would be singing all of the words out loud and asked them to turn up her music,” Lilly said.
Taylor’s latest album reputation has been playing non-stop throughout Isabella’s hospital stay, giving Isabella the strength to endure the 11 operations she’s had to have in the past seven weeks. During the fire pit explosion, 50 percent of Isabella’s body was burned, so one of the surgeries she had to have included skin grafting the half of her body that had been burned.
“Isabella has to go through painful, horrific dressing changes,” Lilly said. “During the changes, the staff has been asking how they can help her deal with her pain, something that would distract her. She said if she were to listen to Taylor Swift’s music, it would be a good distraction. So they turn on the music for her.”
“The hardest part is to hear and see her in pain,” Lilly said. “When she coughs, it hurts her back. Coughing, yawning, or sneezing is painful. Going to the bathroom is excruciating.”
But even though Isabella is almost always in pain, the strong litlte girl didn’t it stop her from making her dream come true and she bravely asked Taylor for a hug before she left. “When [Taylor] was leaving, my daughter asked for a hug and [she] turned around and said, ‘Absolutely — I didn’t want to hurt you.’ They hugged and it was so heartfelt. I knew it meant a lot to Isabella.”
Isabella’s story had been circulating on social media, and it ultimately garnering the attention of Taylor and her mother Andrea — but the little girl had absolutely no clue that Taylor would be making a pit-stop in her hospital room before her concert.
“[Isabella] was shocked! She was speechless,” Lilly said of her daughter’s reaction when Taylor walked into the room wearing a hospital gown. “She was so happy. We were hoping for it but we didn’t want to get her hopes up. When we found out, we felt it was best to keep it a secret.”
The story made the rounds on social media and was picked up by the news. “The news media heard about it and interviewed [Isabella] and she was asked if she would like to meet Taylor. Then the staff started to say that Taylor Swift should come to the burn center,” Lilly said. “People started sharing it on social media, and then Taylor and her mom found out about it. It was important for Isabella to tell Taylor how much her music means to her. She wanted to tell Taylor the difference she’s making in her recovery.”
Though Isabella’s health is currently keeping her from seeing the Reputation Stadium Tour, Taylor told the McCune family they’re welcome to come to a concert as soon as Isabella is well enough to go.
