Ottawa boy with rare disease gifted Taylor Swift tickets auctioned off on his behalf

An Ottawa boy with a rare disease will be getting the chance to see Taylor Swift in concert after the winner and organizers of an auction held on his behalf gifted the tickets to him.

CTV News has reported this year on seven-year-old Jack Laidlaw, who was diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia type four (SPG4), a disease that affects less than 0.01 per cent of the population.

His family, friends and community have been coming together to help raise $3 million total needed for gene therapy research for a cure.

The daughters of a family friend decided to hold an auction to give away their tickets for Swift's Nov. 14 show in Toronto to raise money for Jack. An anonymous donour had been matching the winning bid with up to $50,000.

An Ottawa woman with the winning bid of $20,000 said she wanted the tickets to stay with the girls. The girls then decided they thought Jack should be the one to go to the concert.

"We are blown away by this unexpected turn of events and her generosity!" Jack's family told CTV News.

"Jack is so very excited. To see him have such excitement after going through so much (and always staying positive through it) and to see the generosity of people who want to help him and our family, has touched us beyond what words can express."

In total, $40,000 was raised through the auction to find a cure for Jack's disease with the addition of the anonymous donour.

“We’re trying to reach this cure before Jack becomes paralyzed so there’s a huge sense of urgency for us to raise these funds," Anna Laidlaw said in an interview.

“To have him have these moments of just excitement and happiness keeps us so uplifted and keeps us going.”

The family continues to raise money for Jack through a GoFundMe page and the Blu Genes Foundation. 

A fundraiser will be held at the Mane West Salon in Stittsville on Dec. 8. Families can have a 10-minute photo session with the Grinch for $25.

Swift’s much-anticipated Eras Tour, which is the first ever to gross over US$1 billion after it began last March, will be playing at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on November 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Katelyn Wilson

Taylor Swift, pictured at the 2024 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, donated $5 million toward relief efforts in wake of Hurricanes Milton and Helene. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters via CNN Newsource)