Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce’s dad, Ed, was pretty impressed by Taylor Swift’s down-to-earth nature when he first met her in 2023. It was during a Kansas City Chiefs game when he saw Swift picking up empty bottles in the Arrowhead suite. Years later, Ed’s opinion of the global pop star remains unchanged. Recently, Taylor Swift’s donation to a child battling cancer caught many by surprise, as Kelce’s father summed up her personality in one sentence.

“If you ever get a chance to meet Taylor, you’ll quickly realize this isn’t unusual,” wrote Ed Kelce under Global Mind Apparel’s Instagram post detailing Swift’s generosity. The post was captioned, “Taylor Swift did what?!”

The incident dates back to October 2025. A two-year-old girl, Lilah Smooth, was battling an aggressive, rare form of brain cancer known as ATRT (Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor). Lilah’s mother, Katelynn, once posted a video of her two-year-old dancing, captioned “Stand with Lilah.” When a Taylor Swift song came up,  Lilah began singing, as she pointed to the screen, referring to Taylor as her friend, while watching a video of Swift on her iPad.

Lilah’s parents, Katelynn and Tyler Smoot, had set up a GoFundMe to help with the medical bills, intending to reach $100K USD. When Taylor Swift came across the video a few days after it was posted, she quietly donated $100,000 to their GoFundMe, with a note that read, “Sending the biggest hug to my friend, Lilah!”

Initially, Katelynn was shocked when her husband, Tyler, told her about Swift’s donation. “At first, I thought he was joking,” said Katelynn to People. “For about 30 minutes, we questioned if it was real. But then we saw it come through on the back end of GoFundMe. That’s when I knew Taylor really saw the video — and she meant it.”

But the donation didn’t stop there. When Swifties heard about Lilah’s situation and the campaign, they immediately started donating, taking the overall number up to $350,000 as of today. The funds eventually helped cover Lilah’s medical expenses as the two-year-old needed to be in the hospital for three months of chemotherapy followed by three months of stem cell treatment.

Shortly after receiving the donation, Katelynn posted another video thanking Taylor Swift and her fan base for helping the family. The video showcased her and Lilah dancing to Taylor Swift’s song “The Fate of Ophelia” and was captioned “Is this real life?”

In the video, the two-year-old once again called Taylor her friend and thanked her for the donation. Katelynn continued, “I cannot say thank you enough. I’m truly in shock. This means we don’t have to worry about anything other than Lilah. Truly such a blessing. Thank you.”

Little Lilah was a hardcore Swiftie even before she was born

Even before she was born, Lilah was destined to be a Swiftie. In the same video that Katelynn had posted earlier, she added a clip of attending Swift’s Eras Tour concert during her pregnancy with Lilah. In the caption, she noted, “I listened to Taylor my whole pregnancy and then birthed a mini Swiftie. Lilah loves Taylor’s music, and during her cancer treatment, she always found joy in it.”

Katelynn also revealed that Lilah’s name was originally intended to be Willow, but they ended up naming their firstborn Lilah.

As for Taylor Swift, the donation isn’t anything new. Over the years, the musical sensation has always been in headlines for her philanthropic activities. Back in 2014, the Love Story singer donated $50,000 to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Cancer Center, which was utilized to create specialized programming for teens undergoing cancer treatment. Then, in 2016, she donated $100,000 to the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

For someone like Ed Kelce, who has grown close to the singer in recent years, it doesn’t come as a shock. “She is a very special person,” said Ed to People in 2025. “One of the most giving and caring people I’ve ever met.”

Currently, the singer and her fiancé, Travis, are busy planning their wedding, which is reportedly only a few weeks away. Recently, the couple was spotted at Poppy Delevingne’s 40th birthday party in London, adding more to the growing speculations around their summer wedding. For the couple, every public appearance is quickly linked to the upcoming celebrations, making it almost impossible for the couple to step out without making it to the headlines.