Taylor Swift inspires other stars to bring cheer to dying Yonkers woman
A gravely sick young Westchester woman was flooded with heartfelt phone calls and videos from more than a dozen celebrities — including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Steve Carrell — in a campaign to lift her spirits, she told The Post Friday.
“I’m speechless,” said Annie McMahon, a 22-year-old from Crestwood, who this week also got inspiring videos from Gwen Stefani and Kim Kardashian. “It has been such an incredible boost.”
Two weeks ago, McMahon learned that after two double lung transplants and a battle with cystic fibrosis, she wouldn’t be able to get a third transplant—and was placed on hospice.
“They told me I had 48 hours to live,” said McMahon, who is a graduate of The Ursuline School in London. “My friends and family came over. We were all saying our goodbyes, and it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.”
In an effort to cheer her up, her pals suggested they make a video of themselves dancing to Swift’s song “You Belong With Me,” one of McMahon’s favorite tunes.
But the thought later hit McMahon that she probably won’t be alive when the pop star’s next album is released, and she burst into tears, she said.
“I started to cry and I was like, ‘I don’t think I’ll be able to hear the new Taylor Swift CD’,” McMahon said. “To think that life would go on — and I wouldn’t be a part of it — was really hard.”
So her friends posted the video on Twitter and emailed dozens of people in their tight-knit community to find anyone who knows famous folks who might send McMahon message of hope.
She soon got an uplifting call from Swift, and they spent 20 minutes chatting about everything from “pets with human names” to one of the singer’s “pouring-down-rain concerts” in New York.
“She was the kindest, sweetest person,” McMahon said. “It was like we’d been friends for years. At the end of the conversation, she said, ‘Bye, buddy…I want to meet you sometime.’ It was incredible.”
A star-studded campaign to cheer her up quickly picked up steam. She got a call from Gomez, who had a kidney transplant in 2017, offering support.
“She was so relatable because we have both gone through transplants,” McMahon said.
Actor Carrell also sent her a sweet and funny video on Instagram, saying, “I heard you were a fan of ‘The Office,’ so I wanted to give you a little inside information. John, who plays Jim on the show, smells like fresh-baked cookies.”
Singer Stefani sent her a video saying, “We are thinking about you, we’re praying for you, and we’re wishing you well.” And Coldplay singer Chris Martin wrote a song for her and sent it via email Friday, she said.
Other stars who sent her videos include Kacey Musgraves, Zendaya and Hugh Jackman, she said.
“I have stalked you all over social media. I am so inspired by you,” former gossip blogger Perez Hilton said in a video posted on her Facebook profile.
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While it doesn’t fix her health, she said the outpouring of love has helped her stay positive.
“I was so shocked that people would care about me and take time to do this,” McMahon said. “I honestly think it’s helped me get better.”
She added, “I’m not cured — I am still going to die very soon — but these people have lifted my spirits.”