'I am so happy their efforts to help Jacob paid off in such an unbelievable way, and even more stunned that Taylor Swift did this for our family,' his mom shared.
Taylor Swift did the sweetest thing for an 8-year-old fan with autism. In 2016, the singer donated $10,000 to help a youngster named Jacob Hill get a service dog, and two years later she even met the young fan along with his mother, Allison Hill, sister, Jordan Fox, and the sweet pooch named Reid.
Swift hosted the family backstage at her September 2018 NRG Stadium show in Houston. "Taylor Swift was so kind. She said Reid was a big puffball and so cute. She was especially awesome with Jacob. She didn't see my son's disability she just saw him," Allison shared in a Facebook post for Autism Speaks. "She got on her knees and looked him right in the eyes and said hello and she was thankful he came to her show even though she knew it was loud and there was so much going on."
Taylor Swift's huge donation just got my son with #autism a service dog >> https://t.co/jpCaiCkz2w @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/c2AFqbhGlk
— autism speaks (@autismspeaks) February 9, 2016
The mom was thankful for the way Swift interacted with her son and called the Grammy-winner an “autism advocate.” “He grabbed her face and pulled her hair back and said ‘Hi Taylor!’ which was something we were working on all week, but didn’t know if he would be able to say it,” she wrote of the duo's heartwarming interaction. “After the picture was taken, the flash scared him so he snuggled right up to her and her sweet smile says it all. My daughter, Jordan, was pumped to meet her. We feel so blessed! Taylor is such an amazing person for doing this for us... again! Jacob made it through almost the entire concert.”
According to PEOPLE, the story began when Jacob’s then-12-year-old sister and cousin Makaylee Duhon came up with a cover of her hit song, Blank Space, in 2016 on Jacob’s GoFundMe page. While trying to raise money for Jacob to get a service dog they cleverly changed the lyrics to say, “We got a long list of donations / But we don’t see your name / We got a blank space baby / So donate today.” The video made its way to the musician herself and she and her mom, Andrea Swift, donated $10,000 with a message that read: “Jacob, we hope you love your new dog! Please tell your cousins that they did a great job on the song! Love, Taylor, and Andrea Swift.”
In an open letter, Allison thanked Swift for her incredible gesture, calling Reid a "life-changing gift." "We will never be able to express our gratitude to the Swifts for this donation. My daughter and her cousin are thrilled Taylor saw their video and liked it, and even more thankful that the service dog is now fully funded. I am so happy their efforts to help Jacob paid off in such an unbelievable way, and even more stunned that Taylor Swift did this for our family. We are forever grateful to Taylor and Andrea Swift. Thank you so much. Jacob’s life will truly be changed forever," she shared.