Taylor Swift invited a young fan with autism to her show in Houston Monday, two years after donating $10,000 toward helping the boy purchase his service dog.
The now-8-year-old Jacob, his therapy dog Reid, his mother Allison Hill and sister Jordan Fox were all given front-row tickets and got to meet Taylor backstage.
Jacob’s mom posted about Taylor’s kindness and generosity on the Autism Speaks Facebook page, and included several photos of their meet-and-greet.
“[Taylor] didn’t see my son’s disability she just saw him,” she writes. “She got down on her knees and looked him right in the eyes and said hello and that she was thankful HE came to her show even though she knew it was loud and there was so much going on.”
She adds, “After the picture was taken, the flash scared him so he snuggled right up to her and her sweet smile says it all…We feel so blessed! Taylor is such an amazing person for doing this for us...again! Jacob made it through almost the entire concert. Taylor is such an autism advocate, we love her!”
The meeting was made possible after Swift discovered Jacob’s 12-year-old sister and cousin Makaylee Duhon’s cover of her hit, “Blank Space,” in 2016.
The pair changed the lyrics and sang, “We got a long list of donations / But we don’t see your name / We got a blank space baby / So donate today.”
Nearly a month after the video was posted on Jacob’s GoFundMe page, Taylor and her mother, Andrea Swift donated $10,000 with the message, “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.”
Since receiving his service dog in June, Jacob has been able to walk in grocery stores, cross busy streets and avoid dangerous situations.