Taylor Swift donates thousands to Idaho Falls family in need
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IDAHO FALLS — Taylor Swift has donated $15,500 to a local family in need, and her charitable act is inspiring others to do the same.
The donation to the Bartells of Idaho Falls came with the caption “Love, Taylor, Meredith and Olivia Swift.” Meredith and Olivia are the names of Swift’s cats.
In August 2015, Lauriann Bartell went to the hospital with a bleeding ulcer. The doctors cauterized it, but due to its proximity to an artery, she lost a lot of blood.
They rushed the mother of six children to emergency surgery to stop the bleeding but during that time, she lost oxygen to her brain. This caused an unknown amount of brain damage and left her in a coma.
The family has been taking care of her for the past three years, which has taken a financial toll. The children have worked and held fundraisers to pay for their extracurricular activities.
According to a GoFundMe spokesperson, Taylor Swift made the donation to the Bartell family Saturday.
Bartell’s 19-year-old daughter, Sadie Bartell, took to Twitter after Swift’s donation.
“Taylor really actually donated to me and followed me and liked my thank you to her like that actually happened it’s my life it’s real,” she tweeted.
She went on to post a more lengthy message on Facebook:
“Everyone who knows me knows that Taylor Swift is my whole entire life. She has been there for me more than anyone. I really, truly, would not be who I am without her. Today she read my family’s story online and out of the goodness of her heart donated to us. She shows up every time I need her. She always has and she always will. I wish that I could express how much it means to me that ANYONE has helped my family over the years, let alone Taylor … She is the light at the end of the tunnel and is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. …”
But Swift wasn’t the only person who donated.
“Now, inspired by Taylor Swift, other fans are coming together to support the Bartells,” a GoFundMe spokesperson said.
“Taylor Swift inspired me to do this!” wrote one of the people who donated recently. “Prayers for you all!”
As of Tuesday, the campaign had raised about $26,000 of its $40,000 goal. You can find the GoFundMe here.
Our attorneys tell us we need to put this disclaimer in stories involving fundraisers: EastIdahoNews.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries.