Taylor Swift’s Cancer-Stricken Teen Date Too Ill to Attend Country Music Awards
Country crossover star Taylor Swift made the dreams of one cancer-stricken teen fan true by first declining his prom invite but then inviting him to be her date at the upcoming Country Music Awards in Las Vegas.
However, due to some bad luck and a not-fortuitously-timed fever, 18-year-old Kevin McGuire will be unable to board his scheduled flight to Vegas in order to escort Swift to the CMAs, in what has to be the biggest bummer story in entertainment all week long. McGuire was all set to fly out and meet his idol, who he’d originally asked to be his prom date, before falling ill.
Friends of McGuire originally campaigned to get Swift to accompany McGuire to his prom, creating a Facebook page titled “Taylor Swift take KEVIN MCGUIRE TO PROM!” The page drew 128,000 followers, including Taylor herself. Ultimately, Swift was forced to decline McGuire’s invite, via Facebook, but she wrote:
“Kevin, I’m so sorry but I won’t be able to make it to your prom. But I was wondering, the (Academy of Country Music) Awards are coming up … Would you be my date? Love, Taylor.”
It’s so sad, because Swift had arranged for McGuire- who first fell ill at 13, before going into remission in 2010- to have a tuxedo and fancy shoes, as well as paying for his whole family to fly out to Vegas and be put up in a hotel while he partied with Swift. But the teen came down with a fever of 103, and his mom Vicki says:
“I am so sorry to announce this devastating news, but Kevin was admitted to the hospital last night, and is unable to attend the Academy of Country Music Awards with Taylor Swift. … We appreciate everything you have done for us, and we know you are all hurt from this too. … Please continue to pray for Kevin and his health, because that is the most important thing. As for Taylor, she is just as depressed as all of us to miss out on this date, and we are so thankful for the opportunity she has given us.”
McGuire is said to be in good spirits despite the crushing disappointment, even joking about not many guys being able to say they “turned down Taylor Swift.”
