News Digest

Taylor Swift donates $50,000 to 11-year-old fan battling leukaemia

Taylor Swift has surprised one of her young fans who was devastated when her diagnosis with leukaemia meant she would miss seeing the pop star in concert. The singer has donated $50,000 to pay for medical expenses for Naomi Oakes, who has acute myelegenous leukaemia and is being treated in hospital in Arizona. After being told she could not leave the hospital for at least six months, her young fan realised she would not be able to attend Swift’s concert in August. The 11-year-old, who has made the star’s Bad Blood her fight song, made a video on YouTube to try to get the singer’s attention. Days later, Swift made her donation on Naomi’s GoFundMe page.

To the beautiful and brave Naomi, I’m sorry you have to miss it, but there will always be more concerts.

Taylor Swift

The star wrote: “Let’s focus on getting you feeling better. I’m sending the biggest hugs to you and your family.” Naomi and her family were shocked by the gesture and have expressed their thanks to Swift. “I was thinking, ‘my favourite singer knows who I am’, it was a spectacular feeling,” Naomi said. Swift is known for her kind gestures to fans. She often sends them Christmas presents or invites them to events at her homes. The 25-year-old is estimated to have made $80m in the past year, according to Forbes.