One of the things that Kennedy Mayer does before going to bed each night is listen to a different Taylor Swift album until she finally falls asleep.
In addition to seeing all of the music videos and learning all of the additional songs by heart, the fourth-grader from Oak Park, Michigan is a loyal admirer of the band. Her favorite album is the year 1989. Furthermore, she celebrated her birthday in January with a party that was themed on Taylor Swift.
However, everything changed for the little girl, who was only ten years old at the time, when she was brought to the hospital in March and given a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis in her face. Necrotizing fasciitis is a bacterial illness that affects the tissue that lies under the skin.
During the time when she was fighting the illness and strep, she received the diagnosis. I.e. In her mother’s memory, Meghan Mayer, who is 38 years old, Kennedy said that she was experiencing soreness in her eye at the moment. Meghan, on the other hand, did not first feel worried about it since it looked to be harmless.
A few days later, when Meghan observed that her daughter’s eye was becoming darker and swollen, she and her husband, Thomas, went Kennedy to see her physician. Immediately after arriving at the doctor’s office, her physician sent them to the emergency department for further evaluation.
“She was basically in sepsis,” Meghan, who lives in Michigan with her family, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview, adding that her daughter suffered several organ failures. “All of her numbers were just going crazy.”
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, necrotizing fasciitis may be brought on by a number of different kinds of bacteria, one of which being group A strep. However, if it is not treated, it might result in sepsis.
Since she was admitted to the hospital, Kennedy has been through eight surgical procedures. The first surgery was performed with the intention of eradicating all microorganisms from her body, and the succeeding six procedures entailed the removal of any passed tissue that was still there.
Finally, she had reconstructive surgery, which consisted of a skin graft for her eye that was removed from her left side, which is located under her arm.
Meghan continues, “She is actually going to lose all of her toes except for one,” as she explains how her daughter’s fingers will, over the course of time, automatically amputate themselves.
Meghan has said that Kennedy is anticipated to make a complete recovery, with the exception of the loss of her toes. Nevertheless, she will be at a greater risk for developing renal disease.
Meghan decked Kennedy’s hospital room in Ann Arbor with all of her Swift stuff, including a blanket made of Swift’s album covers, in order to provide her daughter with comfort as she was going through this difficult journey.
In the aftermath of it, she claims that news immediately went around the hospital about her affection for the musicians.
There was a day when Meghan went out to get supper for Kennedy. After returning home and turning up the volume in the hallway, she was able to hear music playing loudly from her daughter’s bathroom.
Upon her arrival, Meghan saw a bunch of nurses walking about with the spotlights on their mobile devices. While sitting in bed, her kid picked up a microphone and began singing “Love Story.”
Meghan explains that all of them were singing and dancing at the same time. “I immediately just started crying.”
“Taylor Swift is kind of a big part of helping her make friends and then now kind of helping her through this entire healing process,” she says in the interview.
Meghan took out her phone and began recording the scene as it occurred. After that, she posted it on TikTok, where it has now gained over 5.4 million views and become a viral sensation throughout the platform. As time went on, the comment box was flooded with complimentary remarks and remarks.
“It was such a straightforward moment. Despite the fact that it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, Meghan believes that it was simply so amazing. “It was definitely one of those things that you’re just never going to forget.”
“The love, support, kindness and generosity from complete strangers has helped her healing process,” she says in her statement. “Her face is different and it’s going to be different for a long time, and it may not ever look exactly the same as it used to.”
She goes on to say, “She is coming to the realization that it is irrelevant what she looks like as a result of these messages.” Additionally, the Swifties are sending her friendship bracelets and cards, which is a wonderful gesture indeed.
TikTok has been the platform where Meghan has continued to provide updates on her daughter’s healing ever since this video went viral. Her objective is to educate parents about the severity of the influenza virus and the difficulties that might arise as a result of it. More than eighteen children in the United States lose their lives to sepsis every single day, as stated by the Sepsis Alliance.
“[Kennedy] is very much aware of how unique her situation is, how special it is that she did survive,” Meghan, who is also a mother to her daughter Ellie, who is seven years old, explains. “I think she’s definitely going to become a little, definitely an advocate and raise awareness in whatever way that she can.”
