Mom of Late Son Who Was the Subject of Taylor Swift’s ‘Ronan’ Attends the Eras Tour on His Birthday

You better grab your tissues for this one. Back in 2012, Taylor Swift, 33, wrote a charity single titled “Ronan,” which was based on a blog by Maya Thompson, who told the story of losing her 3-year-old son to cancer. Flash forward over ten years later, and Swift invited Thompson to be her guest at the first Philadelphia show on her Eras Tour, which was also the day that Ronan would've turned 16 years old.

Thompson shared an emotional message to her Twitter account early on the day of the concert, May 12. She wrote, “Happy 16th Birthday to my beautiful boy. I can’t wait to celebrate you through my tears tonight. I love you to the moon and back, forever and always. [purple heart emojis] #ronansdayoflove @taylorswift13.”

In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Thompson revealed that Swift had personally sent her tickets, and she brought along her 10-year-old daughter, Poppy, to the show. “Ronan loved music, so spending the evening at [Swift’s] concert sounds like the most beautiful way to wrap myself in his love,” she told the publication. “The unpredictable nature of my grief means I can’t anticipate the exact emotions that will surface on specific days, but I know my heart will be filled with a bittersweet blend of sadness and love.”

Later that night, Thompson revealed that she was feeling the love from fans in the audience. She posted a picture of her and her daughter's arms covered in friendship bracelets (which have become traditional for Eras Tour attendees to make ahead of their shows and to trade with other fans in the audience). “We’re in a sea of the most beautiful Swifties,” Thompson captioned the post.

When Swift released “Ronan” in 2012, she credited Thompson as a co-writer, noting that she had used quotes from the mother's blog to put the song together. Also, all of the proceeds from the single were donated to charity causes meant to raise awareness of and fight against cancer.

On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number 16.

What a beautiful gesture from Taylor.

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