Taylor Swift delivers her signature song for Ronan
I had never heard about Ronan Thompson before today. As usual I just bumped into his story while quickly scanning page links while working on something else. I have found lots of stories that way, the internet version of treasure hunting for an editor.
Kids getting cancer has been with us a long time. Generally the stories only get local coverage with an exception being where something sparks national media interest.
But the spark has to come from somewhere, and in this case it was Ronan’s mom Maya. She who started an intimate blog that chronicled a mother and son’s love and struggle to the end. Ronan died in May, 2011, of neroblastoma.
Another spark was added to Maya’s blog when Taylor Swift began following the story. The phone rang one day and there she was asking mom to co-write a song for Ronan, contributing some of her blog writing for the lyrics. The final product debuted at the Stand up to Cancer Telethon on September 7th.
It’s an incredible song, delivered in Taylor’s classic ballad style, and shot up to number one on the I-Tunes charts. She’s been around so long, it seemed to me anyway, I was surprised she is still just 22 herself.
So we have a beautiful ending to a sad story. Mom has another child on the way, to go with the twin siblings. She has her cancer foundation up and running and donations flowing in well now with the publicity of the blog story and now with the song being a big hit.
We have a lot of people here at VT, on staff and our readers, who know what it’s like to bury a child. There is no tragedy that surpasses it, accept that of a young child. That said, my brother died at 55, and my mother was in a depression for five years.
Smiling all the way
Modern technology was a major facilitator in this story. The blog created the initial public interest, which then drew in the star talent. Young Ronan has a legacy that will now serve other children with cancer and hopefully provide some suffering parents a bit of respite.
We try to do this in our own way here at VT, trying to use the technology to fight an uphill fight against a deck stacked that can wear you down sometimes.
Our quest is to keep people from dying or getting early expiration dates tattooed on a file somewhere. Like Ronan and Maya, there are good days and bad days, and we think about who will carry on after we are gone.
I don’t think we will be leaving a song behind, but we will be leaving some good work, hopefully a good example and some inspiration for others. Veterans know a lot about funerals as they go to many. And they know about carrying on, as they have had to to that a lot, too.
Maybe Ronan’s story and song can make carrying the load a bit lighter. Having to punch out three days before your fourth birthday is a tough hand to be dealt. But the little boy with the big blue eyes played his out, as shall we all, and hope that someone remembers our ‘best years’, before we fly away.
[youtube 1ITrd7fM6aY] – Taylor and Ronan
Ronan lyrics
Mother and Son
I remember your bare feet down the hallway I remember your little laugh Race cars on the kitchen floor Plastic dinosaurs, I love you to the moon and back
I remember your blue eyes looking into mine like we had our own secret club I remember you dancing before bed time then jumping on me waking me up I can still feel you hold my hand Little man, from even that moment I knew You fought it hard like an army guy Remember I leaned in and whispered to you
Chorus: Come on baby with me We’re gonna fly away from here You were my best four years
I remember the drive home when the blind hope Turned to crying and screaming, “Why?” Flowers piled up in the worst way No one knows what to say about a beautiful boy who died
And it’s about to be Halloween You could be anything you wanted if you were still here I remember the last day when I kissed your face I whispered in your ear
…One more kiss
Come on baby with me We’re gonna fly away from here Out of this curtained room in this hospital We’ll just disappear Come on baby with me We’re gonna fly away from here You were my best four years
What if I’m standing in your closet trying to talk to you? What if I kept the hand me downs you won’t grow into? And what if I really thought some miracle would see us through? But what if the miracle was even getting one moment with you
Come on baby with me We’re gonna fly away from here Come on baby with me We’re gonna fly away from here You were my best four years
I remember your bare feet down the hallway I love you to the moon and back.
I had not really followed Taylor’s music. Other than a few songs it mostly seemed like endless puppy love…and over produced music videos. But she is entering her middle stage now. Just spent a half hour quickly cruising the best of and these are my two picks.
First up is a series of casual real Taylor and family on the road clips, an intimate portrait without all the glitter.I loved it.
The second is a good HD concert production. Catch the quick wardrobe change on stage. Click the 720p.
Jim W. Dean was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews.
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