Like many 11-year-old girls, Selena York loves Disneyland, sports day and music, but more than anything in the world she loves Taylor Swift. However, unlike many girls her age, Selena suffers from an extremely rare degenerative disease called Friedreich’s ataxia.
“Last year, she was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia disorder. It’s a rare neuromuscular disorder,” Selena’s mom Carianne told Jill Krop on AM/BC Friday.
Friedreich’s ataxia is a degenerative disease that affects only 15,000 people worldwide. The illness is slowly causing Selena to lose her ability to walk and talk. The disease causes muscle weakness and spinal problems, and many patients, including Selena, have to use wheelchairs.
One thing that helps Selena through the hardships of dealing with her disease is the music of Taylor Swift.
“I like her because she’s awesome and because her music is inspiring,” Selena said. “How she can say all that stuff without being nervous and how she sings to thousands and thousands of people.”
Meeting Taylor at her Vancouver concert on June 29 is Selena’s biggest dream.
“It would mean the world to me,” Selena said with a big smile on her face. “I’d probably faint and then I’d wake up because I’d be too scared to faint.”
Selena and her mom have started a social media campaign on Twitter and Facebook in the hopes Taylor will notice and organize a meeting. The Facebook page “Help Selena Meet Taylor Swift in Vancouver” already has more than 1,000 likes.
“It would just be amazing if she got to meet her. It would just bring so much joy to her. It would definitely be her dream. She talks about it all the time. Hopefully Taylor Swift gets word and she can make it happen,” Carianne said.
Selena already has tickets to Taylor’s BC Place “Red Tour” and is planning to wear, fittingly, something red.
Please share Selena’s story and help her achieve her biggest dream…
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