Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Fred Show.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
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I want to welcome a very famous special guest. Her
name is Caitlin. Good morning, Kaitlin, Good morning Now, Caitlin.
People might know you because you have gone wildly viral
(00:45):
in the last I don't know how what has it
been forty eight seventy two hours. It's just a few
days since you became since and people don't necessarily know
what I'm talking about yet, but I mean this has
been what less than a week? Right, Yeah, it's been.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Since Friday, so just a few days.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So Caitlin is Lila's mom, and Lila is two years old.
And you've probably heard of this, of this duo because
Taylor Swift donated one hundred thousand dollars to your GoFundMe
for your daughter who is battling a rare form of
brain cancer stage four. But this, this is the mom
and daughter duo that you've been hearing about that's gone viral.
(01:24):
So first of all, we're wishing the best to Lila,
and I understand she had surgery and now she's going
through some treatment. But what's the most importantly what is
the prognosis, Like, what's the outlook?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Oh so well, thank you for praying for us and
thinking about us. The prognosis isn't the greatest our. Doctors
don't really like to talk about it too much because it,
you know, it brings us down. But she has about
a forty percent survival of the next five years. Over
the next two years is when her chances of death
(01:59):
are like way hire the most steps to her in
the first two years of diagnosis. So the odds are
not in our favor at this moment.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
But it's why you know, you having the resources that
you need to get the best care for Lilah are
so important, which I'm sure is where the GoFundMe came from.
And so Taylor saw the video of your little girl
singing along to a song and saying that that was
her friend. That's how this all started.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Right, Yeah, it all started with Sila. She's just amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Okay, so you listened to Taylor while you were pregnant
with her, and so you're saying, I've read that she
is a Swiftie from birth. But how did the video
come about? What did she say? And then when did
you find out that Taylor had donated?
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Yeah, so the video started because I was just listening
to Taylor's new album and Lylah heard it and she said,
that's Taylor Swift. Mom. I was like, oh, see it is,
and she's like, I really want to listen to it.
So I set up the iPad for her on the
new music video for her, and I just heard filman
because I filmed everything she does, and she's just dancing
along and out of nowhere, she looks at the video
(03:04):
of Taylor and she goes, that's my friend, and it
kind of took me by surprise. I didn't realize what
she said. I'm like, did you just say she's your friend?
And she's like yeah, And it just went viral from there.
Everyone started tagging Taylor. I didn't expect anything to come
of it. I just wanted to, you know, show Lila.
(03:24):
And on Friday, my husband called me up and he's like,
Taylor Swift just gave us one hundred thousand dollars. Like
that's just how he opened the conversation.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Wow, that is amazing. So she must have seen the
video then, and it is the cutest video. Leila is
a beautiful little girl. And and so that was I
think it was what and it's sixty thousand of one
hundred thousand, that was your goal, I believe if I
have that right. And then she donated one hundred thousand
dollars and then since then Swift Tisa started to donate
(03:53):
and as of this morning, he was like at three
hundred and thirty thousand dollars, right, correct, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
So our goal I think was a right around sixty thousand,
and we had a little bit over fifty raised before
Taylor donated. Once she donated, like we were just blown away.
I didn't think anything more would come of it. And
then the Swifties have almost doubled her donation now in
less than forty eight hours, and it has been insane.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
That is amazing and I did see you online yesterday,
and I hate that you even have to address this, Caitlin,
but I you gotta love the internet, and I'd say
that fantastically. Everyone's got to have an opinion. And so
you obviously have blown past your goal by a lot,
and there's been a lot of generosity out there, and
(04:38):
this has all happened so quickly. But I saw that
you made a video and I hate that you even
had to make it addressing the people who are saying, well,
are you going to give this money to other people?
First of all, I think you should be able to
process this. Second of all, and you made this point
and our show we in the Chicagoland area, we work
with a lot of different organizations who deal with children
(04:59):
with pediatric cancer. And you have no idea the resources
that you will need. And you were given this blessing
of over three hundred thousand dollars and I'm sure that
you'll find a way to pay it forward, but you
might need that.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Right And the thing is is that we don't know
how much treatment's going to cost at the end of
all of this, and we don't know what treatment she's
going to need to surpass, what we're doing already. I
know that our insurance has been built at least a
million dollars for only one round us want of sure
five that she has gone through, So I know that
it costs a lot, and I don't know how much
(05:34):
is covered. We don't have a bill at the beginning, right.
It takes months for insurance to process things. So when
we started our GoFundMe, we don't like asking for things.
We're very you know, prideful people. We didn't want to
ask for help. So we actually originally started our gofunding
with a school of five thousand dollars because you're like, well,
we don't know what we need that will probably help us,
(05:55):
just we'll see, like fiting groceries while we're going through this,
And while our community rallied behind us and supported us,
and we realized how many more expenses it was going
to be, we slowly started raising it and we just
kind of capted at sixty. But it wasn't because that's
how much we needed. That was just what we were comfortable,
you know, like asking for We don't want to be
(06:15):
trying to ask for too much. We don't want to
take advantage of anyone. But treatment in itself, like, we
don't know how much.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
The cost is, right, so you have far surpassed your goal,
and Taylor helped you do it, and the swiftiest helps
you do it. But I mean the idea that you
don't have to justify to anybody what you do with
this money or how much. I don't think people have
any idea to your point, how much it costs to
fight this and you know, the travel that you may incur,
(06:42):
or the specialists that you may visit, or who knows,
maybe somewhere across the world they have a better solution
for Lilah, your daughter, and if and now you have
the resources to be able to do that. And I'm
certain that not only are you raising awareness right now,
but I think also I'm sure you'll find a way
to pay it for it. But I saw you yesterday
having to justify this, and I hated to see it
(07:03):
because I don't think you should have to worry about that.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, thank you. It's we are eventually going to do something.
We have tons of like, even if it's not a
monetary thing, we are going to pay it forward in
some way once we are in that position to do so.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
You take your blessing. Just focus on that little one
and get through this.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yeah, of course, And this is Caitlin and her daughter.
Lylah is the two year old in the viral video
that you've probably seen. Taylor Swift donated one hundred thousand
dollars to the campaign. Now, I don't know if I've
read this or not, but have you heard from Taylor
directly in any way since all of this, aside from
one hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
No, we haven't heard anything from Taylor, nor do I
expect to. A lot of people keep saying, oh my gosh,
you're totally going to meet her. I have no expectation
for her to ever say anything. She has blessed our family.
She has done more than enough and more than I
could ever even imagine.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah, well, look all, we wish you the best. We
wish Lyah the best. Such a beautiful little girl, amazing story.
And you know, people gonna say what they want about
Taylor and about the Swifties, but she is generous and
she is thoughtful, and she does step up, and so
does her fan base. I'm surprised they have any money left,
by the way, have to buying all the stuff, you know, yeah,
(08:16):
but we hope to keep in touch of anything that
we can do here to help you. Please let us know,
and obviously wishing you and your family the very best,
and thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I really
appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Of course, all the best to you. Yeah, be strong,
have a great morning, and we will post the uh,
we'll post that video if we haven't already, and then
let's post the GoFundMe too if anybody wants to help
out in any way there as well. And I mean,
what an amazing story and the strength of that mom,
you know, to be able to tell the story over
and over again. And of course the internet has got
(08:51):
an internet. Stop it, guys, stop interneting.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Yes, yeah, I mean that's If that doesn't show where
we're at in our world, I don't know what does.
She does not need to defend or explain her blessing.
She's going through probably the worst thing that a family
or a person can go through, So knock it off.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Where does Yeah? Yeah, and you know, in Chicagoland we
work with Cal's Angels. We've worked with which is an
organization that is in place to help families who are
battling pediatric cancer. And over the years, I've learned so
much about how little research and how little treatment there is,
and how little attention pediatric cancer gets and how expensive.
Ronald McDonald House another organization that we work with that's providing,
(09:30):
you know, a place for people to live while they're
seeking treatment across the country and across the world. I mean,
these are there's just so many aspects of this that
people don't think about. How much is the treatment, how
much will insurance cover? How much of that battle are
you going to win? If you've ever tried to fight
the insurance company, you know, do you have access to
experimental treatment to save your kid's life, how much is
that going to cost?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
You have to quit your job, you know, to be
with the kid.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
You know, where where is this treatment taking place? Is
it down the street, is it in a different city,
is it a different part of the country. How much
is it going to cost to get there? You know,
is it in a different part of the world. So unfortunately,
she she will probably need all of that money. And
obviously we're wishing them the very best. Showbiz showing a
little bit late. We'll do that next six hundred Bucks
(10:13):
in the showdown, Waiting at the phone, why did somebody
get ghosted? And more and we're commercial free next as well.
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