When 25-year-old Sadie Bartell's world turned upside down, never in her wildest dreams did she think help would come from a global pop star. But that's exactly what happened when Taylor Swift came to the rescue - making a life-changing $15,500 donation to her struggling family.
Sadie is one of six children whose mother, Lauriann Bartell, suffered severe brain damage after being rushed into emergency surgery for a bleeding ulcer in 2015. Lauriann has since required 24-7 care from her husband Mike and children.
© Sadie BartellThree years later and the family were in a tight spot financially and struggling to keep up with their house payments — until Taylor stepped in. The 'Shake It Off' singer kindly sent funds after learning of the Bartell's plight through Tumblr, where she would often interact with fans. Several Swifties had re-blogged a post in which Sadie had detailed the family's struggles and spoke of how Taylor and her music had helped her through the hard times.
"I truly don't know what would have happened to my family, to our home," said Sadie, whose family is based in Idaho, USA. "It was [Taylor's donation] that pulled us out of the hole we were in.
"I truly don't know what would have happened to my family, to our home."
"There's always been so much financial anxiety in our situation and it just gave my family the peace that we needed"
Taylor's act of kindness had a transformative effect on Sadie's mental health. "At the time I was majorly depressed, I've struggled with depression since I was 13 and Taylor has been my number one through all of it. I was probably the most depressed I've been in my life," Sadie remembers."Taylor donating to my family is what pulled me out of that depression and made me see the light. It was like she took my hand and she guided me out. Her doing that saved me."
"Taylor donating to my family is what pulled me out of that depression and made me see the light. It was like she took my hand and she guided me out. Her doing that saved me."
Sadie, who has been a Swifite since she was nine, has since been diagnosed with two serious illnesses. She told HELLO!: "I have MS and I have an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, which is the deterioration of your retinas.
"I lost all of my independence and I can't see. I'm mostly blind now and I can't drive a car or work. I have lesions that were growing into my brain and my nerves were completely raw so my MS came close to taking my life before I was finally diagnosed and given treatment.
"Now more than ever, I've held on to the fact that Taylor — who has meant the most to me in my life — showed she cared about me. She gets me through every MS treatment. Her act of kindness has continued be my rock ."
Sadie managed to raise money to allow her to attend the Eras tour but sadly has never met the woman herself.
"It is one of my biggest dreams to get to thank her for this and for everything else that she has done for me in my life in person," she said. "I want so badly to tell her thank you and how much I love her."
Over the last two years, Taylor has been touring the globe with her Eras shows, and with each new destination comes a series of generous donations for local charities.
One lucky recipient this year was Second Harvest Food Bank in South Louisiana.
Chief Strategy Officer John Sillars told HELLO: "We were thrilled to have received Taylor's donation we were kind of thinking we might not get a gift because she had just given $5 million to Feeding America, our parent organisation."
Whilst John, 57, isn't allowed to disclose the amount of money Taylor donated, it amounts to 75,000 meals as well as contributing to the operations of the charity. "It's helping us keep our operations going," John said, explaining that the donation will also be used to pay salaries, contribute to transport costs as well as help produce meals for "people who probably aren't gonna eat that day without those meals."
"It's more than the money. It's the fact that she's lifted up the problem of food insecurity not just for us but across the country."
In South Louisiana, one in six people experience food insecurity, with one in three children experiencing it in New Orleans."Is an incredible problem. People are dealing with inflation and they can't find affordable groceries, " John said.
If one thing is for sure it's that Taylor's donation couldn't have more of an impact, John explained: "When somebody like Taylor Swift makes a gift, no matter the amount, it's the act of giving and addressing the issue that's important because there are so many other causes out there. So it is very humbling."
