Taylor Swift memorializes Arizona boy at Phoenix-area concert

PHOENIX — Superstar Taylor Swift honored the memory of an Arizona boy with cancer who inspired one of her songs at her Phoenix-area concert Tuesday.

Swift wrote the song “Ronan” after reading about Ronan Thompson, a boy who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a terminal pediatric cancer. He died just before his fourth birthday in 2011.

“She started reading my blog that I write, RockstarRonan.com, and she basically took the words from my blog and my very own words kind of about what we’ve gone through and she put them into a song for us,” Ronan’s mother, Maya, told KTAR News 92.3 FM after her son died.

Swift first performed the song at a 2012 “Stand Up to Cancer” telethon, but replayed it at her concert at Gila River Arena on Tuesday. Before she did, she told the audience a little about how Maya.

A video posted by Maya Thompson (@mamamaya) on Aug 17, 2015 at 11:28pm PDT

After the show, Maya and her guests were able to go back stage and greet Swift.

A photo posted by Maya Thompson (@mamamaya) on Aug 17, 2015 at 11:41pm PDT

If you’ve never heard “Ronan” before, you can watch Swift sing it below. We have to warn you, though, it’s a bit of a tearjerker.

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