11-year-old Swiftie and cancer patient gets upgraded to a suite for Taylor Swift concert
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Ava O’Brien is not your average 11-year-old; for years, she has been unashamedly the biggest Swiftie in her class, even when she said it was not a cool thing to be.
Now she is fighting Ewing Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer that mostly affects kids, but as her treatment wraps up she finally sees some “Daylight” at the end of this long battle.
She said Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour have kept her “Fearless” through all of the tests, operations, and treatments.
You can “Call It What You Want,” but Ava O’Brien is one of the most even-tempered kids out there. She was ready to tell all of us “You Need to Calm Down” whenever her cancer diagnosis came up.
“It’s just long,” O’Brien said about the last 9.5 months of treatment. “I guess I just did it a lot so I already know what it’s going to feel like.”
Ava’s personality really came out when it was time to discuss Taylor Swift and her “Timeless” collection of merchandise, vinyl, and official “Cardigans.”
The highlight of Ava’s night was sitting down at the family computer to show me her six-page Taylor Swift spreadsheet where she tracks everything from songs to outfits on the tour.
She left a “Blank Space” for the remaining tour dates.
“I made it because I wanted to have something to do and I wanted to try out Google Sheets because I had never done it before,” Ava said.
She learned how to make formulas that automatically change color to signify different albums and outfits.
Ava’s parents understand just how “Delicate” this situation is and they are thankful that Taylor Swift was able to be “the 1” that got their daughter through this tough time.
“We have strong faith. We really do and I think that hope really gets you through. I cry every time. It’s hard. She’s so mentally tough,” said Rebekah O’Brien, Ava’s mom. “She’s like that with everybody so doctors will come in and friends will ask her how she’s doing and she’ll be like ‘I am ok… Why is there something wrong?’”
Ava watched the European live streams during treatment to take her mind off of everything.
“That’s all she does,” said Jacob O’Brien, Ava’s dad. “She loves that so it gives her something to do and makes her happy so I like it.”
“There were many times where she had a concert so she could watch that laying in bed getting chemo,” Rebekah said. “Keep her mind off of it.”
Rebekah O’Brien secured her daughter’s tickets in the Ticketmaster “Great War” before Ava got sick.
Now seeing the Eras Tour in person is an “Enchanted” way to end her treatment as she wraps up radiation this fall.
“Watching other shows. You’re not actually there,” Ava said. “But if you’re at a show you can say that’s what you got. Not just watching it.”
Ava’s parents have just one more trick up their sleeve, they managed to secure Ava a suite to the Eras Tour on Saturday night.
She is finding out this major news this week. Just one final touch to make this “The Best Day” for Ava.
Everyone at WISH-TV wants to wish Ava the best in her recovery. We know that “Soon You’ll Get Better.”
If Taylor Swift or the Taylor Nation team is watching I think Ava would be a deserving person to get the “22 Hat” during Saturday night’s show.
We have the O’Brien family’s contact information here at WISH-TV if you need it. You can email danielle.zulkosky@wishtv.com and I would be happy to put you in contact with the family.
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