Taylor Swift is known for her lyrics that are so vivid, so personal and so full of meaning, that it is hard not to feel something when listening to the words. But there is this one song in particular that can easily bring people to tears.
Image from Famous/ACE/INFphoto.com
Back in 2012, Swift debuted her song “Ronan” at a performance for Stand Up to Cancer. The song was written for Ronan Thompson, who, according to E!, died from neuroblastoma at 3 years old in 2011. Swift wrote the song after reading blog entries written by his mother Maya Thompson.
On Monday night, during her 1989 World Tour in Glendale, Ariz., Swift performed “Ronan” for only the second time. She decided to perform the song because Maya was in the audience.
"I think that in my opinion, one of the greatest things that a human being can ever do, is to go through something unbearable and then share their experience with the world,” she said to the crowd. “And I think, the braver you are, the more completely honest you are. There's a woman here tonight named Maya Thompson…and I wouldn't know half as much as I know about childhood cancer and childhood cancer research if she hadn't shared her story about her son Ronan."
In fact, cancer is a very personal matter to Swift. Back in April, the 25-year-old shared on her Tumblr page that her mom, Andrea Swift, was diagnosed with cancer.
“She had this blog called Rockstar Ronan and I would read it every night,” Swift continued. “And in it was this account of what it was like to watch cancer take over my life. And since then, I've had cancer hit really close to me in my family. So because Maya's right there, I would like you to give her a round of applause, please."
Before playing the heartbreaking song, Swift said, "I just wanted to take a moment and try to play this song...I think because Maya's here tonight—I think she deserves it."
Swift listed Maya as a co-writer of the song because “she is the rightful co-writer of the song,” since Swift based the song off Maya’s blog entries. All of the proceeds of the song went to the Ronan Thompson Foundation.
Maya shared her thanks to Swift on Instagram, with a photo of her and her family backstage with Swift.
Instagram photo from @MamaMaya