Taylor Swift choked up as she paid a heartfelt tribute to Maya Thompson, the mother of a four-year-old cancer victim who lost his battle with the terminal disease four years ago, People reported. Swift performed her song "Ronan," named after the little boy, to the audience at the Arizona stop of her "1989 World Tour."
"There's a woman here tonight named Maya Thompson," Swift told her adoring fans at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. on Monday night. "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."
As she strummed her guitar, Swift explained that she learned so much reading Thompson's blog "Rockstar Ronan," which chronicled her son's battle with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer that affects the nerve cells and most commonly affects children under the age of five, according to Mayo Clinic.
"I would read it every night and in it was this account of what it's like to watch cancer take over your life," Swift continued, "and since then I've had cancer hit really close to me in my family."
The pop star stopped, choking back tears as she referenced her own family's health scare. Swift's mother Andrea Findlay, was diagnosed with cancer in April, Today reported.
"So because Maya's right there, I would like for you to give her a round of applause please," she instructed her fans. "I'm going to try because the only other time I ever played this was at a show called 'Stand Up To Cancer' and I think because Maya's here tonight, I think she deserves it."
Swift then performed a heartfelt acoustic rendition of her song "Ronan." Watch a clip from her perfomance below.
