Heartwarming News! 7-Year-Old Girl Who Conquered Cancer and Now Awaits A Lung Transplant Gets the Surprise of Her Life: She’s Going to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, and It’s the 100th Show!

Byvu lita

Jun 19, 2024

This is the heartwarming moment a young girl in need of a lung transplant after beating cancer finds out she has been gifted tickets to Taylor Swift‘s Eras tour on its 100th show.

Florence Ava Bark, from Corby, Northamptonshire, is currently battling graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) of the lungs.

She got the disease after receiving a bone marrow transplant in August 2022, following her diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Florence has always loved music and dancing but because of her illness, she was never able to experience them.

Days before Taylor Swift’s final show in Liverpool, Sean Reddington, CEO of Thrive, was giving away two VIP tickets for ‘someone who truly deserves them.’

A fan of Florence’s social media got in contact with Sean and nominated her for the tickets and after hearing her story, he decided to gift them to the family.

Florence Ava Bark is pictured with her mother Stacey Bark at Taylor Swift's 100th Eras concert in Liverpool

Florence Ava Bark is pictured with her mother Stacey Bark at Taylor Swift’s 100th Eras concert in Liverpool

The moment the young seven-year-old girl found out she was going to her first ever concert

The moment the young seven-year-old girl found out she was going to her first ever concert

Florence has always loved music and dancing but because of her illness, she was never able to experience them

Florence has always loved music and dancing but because of her illness, she was never able to experience them

Sat in their living room, her mother Stacey Bark said: ‘Someone very kind was giving away two special tickets to go to a special event and a lovely girl called Olivia nominated you.’

She then asks Florence which superstar they were speaking about the other day, to which the young girl says with a huge smile on her face: ‘You were talking about Taylor Swift! Are we going to a Taylor Swift concert?’

After being told that they were attending the sold out event Florence giggled and said: ‘I love music, I’ve never been to a concert before, thank you.

Florence then began crying before the clip cut to her enjoying the concert, singing along and waving her stuffed dog to the music.

Stacey, 34, said: ‘They were so great. Sean said there were quite a few tears in the office hearing Florence’s story.

‘They even made extra special arrangements for Florence as the tickets weren’t originally wheelchair accessible but they called the stadium and made sure they were able to look after her.

‘Sean’s PA rang me at 4pm on Friday during the school run, a day before the show, to confirm it had been sorted.

‘That’s when I rushed home to tell Florence.’

Stacey, her husband Andrew, 36, and their oldest child Freddie, 10, all made the trip to Liverpool.

Florence is pictured with a Taylor Swift t-shirt on along with balloons and a cutout of the famous singer

Florence is pictured with a Taylor Swift t-shirt on along with balloons and a cutout of the famous singer

Florence cuddles her stuffed dog toy as she waits to see Taylor Swift in Liverpool

Florence cuddles her stuffed dog toy as she waits to see Taylor Swift in Liverpool

Other Taylor Swift fans show Florence their friendship bracelets at the concert

Other Taylor Swift fans show Florence their friendship bracelets at the concert

Florence Bark, seven, her mother, Stacey Bark, 34 her father, Andrew, 36, and her brother, Freddie, 10

Florence Bark, seven, her mother, Stacey Bark, 34 her father, Andrew, 36, and her brother, Freddie, 10

 Stacey attended the concert with Florence and despite concerns about how she would fare, Florence absolutely loved it.

Stacey, who is now her daughter’s full-time carer along with her husband, said: ‘Florence has spent the majority of the last two and half years in hospital.

What is Acute myeloid leukaemia?

Leukaemia is cancer of the white blood cells and Acute leukaemia means it progresses quickly and aggressively, and usually requires immediate treatment.

AML is a rare type of cancer, with around 3,100 people diagnosed with it each year in the UK and it is most common in people over the age of 75.

The symptoms of AML usually develop over a few weeks and become worse over time.

These can include:

  • Looking pale or ‘washed out’
  • Feeling tired or weak
  • Breathlessness
  • Frequent infections
  • Unusual and frequent bruising or bleeding, such as bleeding gums or nosebleeds
  • Losing weight without trying to

‘Even before she got sick, the year she was meant to start school the pandemic started so she had never been in a crowd that big before.

‘To see her have this experience meant everything and the staff were just so wonderful, kind and attentive.

‘Florence called it a “once in a lifetime” experience.

Florence first fell ill in late April 2022 and was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in May.

Stacey said: ‘She was diagnosed within 24 hours of her blood test coming back.

‘Florence started chemo the next day because she was diagnosed as a high-risk patient.’

It quickly became apparent that the chemotherapy was not working and Florence’s parents were told she needed a bone marrow transplant.

‘Just over a month later, on June 17, we were told she would need a bone marrow transplant,’ Stacey added.

‘We were told there was a high chance of the transplant not working before the surgery, but we didn’t have any other real option at the time.

‘She had the transplant on August 18, 2022, after which there was still some cancer remaining.

‘The bigger issue then became her immune system, which had to be suppressed so the transplant would be accepted into the body.’

Florence was declared cancer-free in October 2022 but a month later was diagnosed with graft-versus-host disorder (GvHD) of the lungs.

GvHD occurs when transplanted donor cells recognise the recipient’s tissues as foreign and attack them.

Florence Ava Bark, from Corby, Northamptonshire, is currently battling graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) of the lungs

Florence Ava Bark, from Corby, Northamptonshire, is currently battling graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) of the lungs

A fan of Florence's social media got in contact with the CEO of Thrive and nominated her for the ticket

A fan of Florence’s social media got in contact with the CEO of Thrive and nominated her for the ticket

Florence smiles as she watches the concert, singing along and waving her stuffed dog in the air

Florence smiles as she watches the concert, singing along and waving her stuffed dog in the air

 Stacey said: ‘Her lungs work at 30 per cent capacity on a good day but she now needs a lung transplant.

‘She gets a lot of infections in her lungs which have to be cleared out ahead of any transplant.

‘Florence was on a ventilator for eight days this past January as a result of complications with the infections in her lungs.’

What is graft-versus-host disease?

GvHD is a possible complication of a stem cell or bone marrow transplant from another person.

 GvHD happens when particular types of white blood cell (T cells) in the donated stem cells or bone marrow attack your own body cells.

This is because the donated cells see your body cells as foreign and attacks them.

You are at higher risk of GvHD if:

  • Your donor is not related to you
  • Your best available bone marrow donor is still a slight mismatch
  • The donated stem cells or bone marrow contain high numbers of T cells
  • You or your donor are older
  • Your donor is a different sex to you
  • You don’t have a very common virus called cytomegalovirus (you are CMV negative) but your donor is CMV positive
  • You have a donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), using white blood cells from the donor

Florence is now undergoing tests to check her health ahead of a potential lung transplant.

Her parents have set up the foundation Bemorefab after her initials to help with donations both for Florence and for other children battling GvHD.

Stacey said: ‘We wouldn’t have gotten this far without the support of our community in Corby and the kindness of strangers willing to donate.’

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