Taylor Swift Tearfully Dedicates ‘Ronan’ To Woman Whose Son Died of Cancer

Taylor Swift had the audience in tears as she did a heartfelt performance of “Ronan” during Monday’s 1989 concert at Glendale, Arizona. The singer dedicated the song to a mother, who lost her son to cancer, and even talked about her own mother’s battle with the life threatening disease.

Monday night was the first time that Swift added the song “Ronan” into her concert playlist. According to US Weekly, the multi-awarded singer wrote the song based on a blog about a four year old boy, who died from cancer in 2011. The blog, titled Rockstar Ronan, was authored by the boy’s mother, Maya Thompson, who was present at the Glendale concert.

Swift, who credited Thompson as a co-writer for the song, gave a special dedication to Ronan’s mother during the concert. The 25 year old singer started by saying how one of the bravest things anyone could ever do is to experience something unbearable and to share it with the world.

She added, "There's a woman here tonight named Maya Thompson. And she has lived in this area and brought her kids up in this area. And 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.”

The singer and songwriter first released “Ronan” in 2012 as a charity single. Swift also performed the song during a “Stand Up to Cancer” telethon that was held September that year, People reported. All the proceeds from the single's sales went to cancer charities, including the Ronan Thompson Foundation.

The “Back to December” shared how she would read Thompson’s blog every night where she learned “what’s it like to watch cancer take over your life.” Swift then mentioned that the debilitating disease has also hit someone close to her in her family. In April this year, the pop singer revealed that her mother, Andrea, has been diagnosed with cancer.

After asking the crowd to give Thompson a round of applause, Swift told her fans that she wanted to play the song because “Maya's here tonight, I think she deserves it." The singer added, "I can't promise that I will sing it well or not get really emotional, but I'm gonna try...”

Thompson later posted on Instagram to thank Swift for “one of the most special moments of my life” and for “never forgetting my Ro.”

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