A Taylor Swift fan died on Monday, after publicly battling cancer and inspiring others to keep going. Emily Beazley, the 12-year-old girl who the “Bad Blood” singer personally called a month ago, has lost the battle.
The famous phone call came after Emily’s friends started a campaign and created a music video for her, featuring around 200 children singing and dancing to Swift’s music. Taylor Swift ‘s response was as surprising as the fact that she’d known all about Emily. The cancer victim, diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 8, told the local news all about the call.
“She knew all about me. She told me about her tour starting in Tokyo, she asked what my favorite song was, and I told her ‘Shake It Off.’ Then she said, ‘Oh, cool.’ “
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of cancer derived from lymphocytes, a kind of white blood cell, attacking the immune system from the blood stream. It can range from mild to aggressive.
Sadly, the Taylor Swift fan died, with the cancer winning the fight. Emily didn’t go down easy, though. Despite her age, she felt the need to spread the word about her cancer treatment for the rest of the world.
Treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can include a combination of several things, such as immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiation, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
After having gone into remission, the cancer had come back to attack Emily Beazley once more. Earlier this year, her parents decided to stop the chemotherapy treatments on recommendation of doctors. They said it wasn’t helping, according to Fox News .
The City of Chicago was also a major support for Emily, having made her an honorary police officer, let her throw the first pitch at a White Sox game, and named a street after her. The city skyline was even lit up with purple and green in her honor.
News of Emily Beazley, the Taylor Swift fan who has died, hit the internet in the form of her mother’s, Nadia’s, Facebook post.
“My beautiful Emily got to use her angel wings. She fought hard to the end. Her last gift to me was passing peacefully.”
Emily’s mother is asking for privacy. A public memorial is being planned.
[Image via Chicago Tribune ]