Savvy Auntie Staff Writer

As we have reported, CelebAuntie Taylor Swift has been a part of BFF Jaime King's son's life since he was still in the womb. As his godmother, Taylor had fallen in love with Leo Thames from the day he was born last summer.

What we didn't know, and only those close to Jaime King and her husband Kyle Newman knew, was that at just 20 weeks, baby Leo Thames had become gravely ill with Transposition of the Great Arteries AKA TGA. The baby, now 13 months old, had heart surgery, which, Jaime King says on Instagram, "was terrifying, and traumatic for us as parents, for our family."



Leo Thames at about 6 months old, with his loving godmother, Taylor Swift

Leo Thames's godmother, and Jaime's best friend, Taylor Swift was there for her godson and the family: "She came to the ICU to comfort us, to hold and bond with him with such grace & strength," Jaime King wrote.

But Taylor's love and support didn't stop there. As Jaime explains in her Instagram post captioning a very special letter she received from Cedars-Sinai Hospital on August 24: "@taylorswift does so many selfless acts that go unnoticed because she does them silently, from such a great place of unconditional giving. As the Godmother of Leo Thames for his birthday she gave an incredible donation to the people that saved his life Dr. Allistar Phillips and his brilliant team.... TS knew that by giving back in this way would be the greatest gift one could give to us, to Leo Thames and to all of those with congenital heart issues."

Taylor Swift inspired Jaime and Kyle to share Leo Thames's story and recovery publicly so that other families coping with congenital heart disease would know they are not alone. "It made us realize that silence cannot connect other parents & people going through these issues....Our gift back is to share our story that anyone that is going through this is not alone, we understand & want to stand up to bring awareness in the greatest way possible. Leo Thames is the strongest, healthiest boy because of this team. He will live a full and whole life & never have to look back.

Back in August 2015, Taylor dedicated her song "Never Give Up" to her Godson at a concert. How prescient a wish for her godson it was: " "I wrote it when I was like 18 or 19, but my friend just had a baby and she made me godmother of it and I was holding this little baby the other night, and I was just thinking differently," she said. "When you're holding onto something that's so innocent and so perfect and has no idea what's coming for it with the world. The world is going to throw so many things at you as we grow up."

We are so happy to hear that Leo Thames is doing well and so proud to see one of our most celebrated CelebAunties, Taylor Swift, as a role model for all godmothers and Savvy Aunties. While most are not able to give the way Taylor can, the star represents the best of BenevolAunts - aunts who give not only to the children in their life, but like Taylor's generous gift to Cedars-Sinai and Leo Thames's doctor, Dr. Allistar Phillips, and the Congenital Heart Surgery team, to children she will never know.


Taylor Swift, we honor your Auntie love, your generosity, and your humility. And here's to Jaime King and Kyle Newman for recognizing all your gifts.

Images: Jaime King on Instagram
Published: September 1, 2016