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“We kept telling her, ‘Next time we’re in Miami, it’s going to be for Taylor. It’s not going to be for cancer,'” Belous said. “Obviously, we didn’t think she would relapse again. I think it really helped get her through the second time. All she’s been talking about since the relapse is this concert.”

Swift performs a song, “22,” and chooses a fan at each show to wear her iconic black hat. Belous said she’s been pushing hard on TikTok to draw Swift’s attention to Aubrey. She asked everyone to tag Swift and her fans so Aubrey can wear the hat on Oct. 18.

“If there’s enough traction and enough tags, she would get selected in the audience and go to the front of the stage and sing with Taylor,” Belous said. “[Aubrey] keeps asking, ‘You think we’re going to get the hat?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know!'” Belous said.

Aubrey said she’s “so excited” to see Swift in concert, adding that she cried and screamed in joy when Belous told her she secured tickets. She said she would feel “so honored, thankful and so happy” if Swift chose her for the 22 hat.

“That would be my dream come true,” Aubrey said. “Her foundation made my life shine a little more. It made me enjoy every day. We just have a great bond together, me and Jordan.”

She said she and Jordan have a familial bond.

“Both of us are crazy. She’s like my sister,” Aubrey said.

Belous said she’s been crying since she heard the news of Aubrey’s relapse.

“Every time I talk about it, I get all teary eyed,” she said. “You get close with some kids. I’ve visited a ton of kids. This is a real, real friendship. I keep saying I don’t know what I’ll do if anything happens. It’s a very tough spot. I’m trying to stay positive and keep looking for trials that are available for her and trying to help her mom navigate the best place to take her next.”

Belous said Whip Pediatric Cancer helped fund a trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City a couple of years ago that could be “coming full circle.” She hopes Aubrey will qualify for it.

“Obviously it would be amazing, because I haven’t heard about many kids being able to go on this trial, because they don’t qualify,” Belous said. “It’s sounding like it’s a possibility and it’s up in the air right now. This would definitely be a full circle moment. We’re just taking it day by day and making memories while we figure everything out. It’s really tough. Her mom started making a bucket list and we’re trying to get as much done while she’s feeling good. We’re obviously hoping for a cure.”

Click here to read a Q&A with Jordan Belous of Whip Pediatric Cancer.

Belous said she has developed a close bond with Aubrey over the past three years.

“It always sounds weird, because I’ll say, she’s like my best friend, and I’m 25 and she’s 10,” Belous said. “But genuinely, she is the best friend you would ever want to have. When I was sick with COVID [recently], she texted me to say, ‘I’m praying for you to get better.’ I’m like, ‘I’m praying for YOU to get better!’ She’s getting the news of a third relapse, and she’s worried about me having COVID. She’s always there for you. If I’m going through anything in my personal life, she’s always making sure that I’m OK, checking on me. If I come out of the bathroom and I just did my makeup, she’ll hype me up and say, ‘You look so good!’ She’s the ultimate best friend goals. She’s such a good soul.”

Belous said people mistake her and Aubrey for being sisters because of their friendship.

“Her mom always says, ‘You guys have something so special, you’re like another sister.’ And she already has three sisters. It’s definitely an honor to have that title.”

Lyndsi Hutson, Aubrey’s mom, called Belous “one of the kindest souls” she’s ever met.

“She gives so much of herself,” Lyndsi said.

Lyndsi pointed to how Belous came to Tampa Bay from Long Island, and that the Hutson family knows Belous’s parents live several states away.

“We have almost taken it as, she’s like one of ours,” Lyndsi said. “We welcome her with open arms. We protect her. If there’s a hurricane coming, my husband is the first one to text her, ‘Hey, go to my mom’s house. We’ll take care of you.’ She has become a part of our family. It really sucks that this situation is what brought us together, but I’m grateful for someone like her to come into our family’s life to give it more light in such a dark situation and become part of the family. That really is what she is. It’s not about blood all the time.”

Belous said she sees herself and how she used to be as a child in Aubrey.

“I think kids nowadays are more focused on social media and iPads. They’re not the same as kids used to be,” she said. “I was always a stand out from the kids I was around in school. I was always super empathetic and caring about helping others, doing for others. I feel like that’s a very rare trait I have; being young and wanting to help someone else besides myself. Aubrey is almost the exact same way I was when I was 10 years old.”

Aubrey organizes a Christmas in July fundraiser where she gathers toys for other children who are sick, even though she’s in the hospital. She makes a coffee cart and brings in K-cups and syrups for her oncology floor, according to Belous. Aubrey picked up on mothers in the pediatric cancer ward and how tired and stressed they were while their children fought cancer.

“Aubrey was like, ‘It’d be so good if we had coffee here,'” Belous said. “She thinks of these things by herself. They’re such innocent ideas. They’re so needed. I think that’s how I was, too. It’s very matter of fact. That’s what makes her really special and what makes me super drawn to her. If she has a chance to grow up, I think she would make a huge impact on the world. And she already has, obviously. That’s why I’ve been so connected to her. I visit hundreds of kids. I’ve never met a kid who’s giving back in their own fight, and I think that’s really unique. She’s just a really, really good kid. Super grateful for everything. Always saying thank you. Always saying how much she loves everyone. She’s not like other kids. It’s unbelievable.”

Whip Pediatric Cancer has two donation options on its website: one for research and another for quality of life purposes. All research proceeds go directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and will be used exclusively for pediatric cancer research, according to the website. Belous wanted a second option to help children fighting cancer make memories.

“Obviously, research is amazing and we need research,” Belous said. “The more funds we have, the more trials we can fund and the more cures. More kids could have these new treatments that are safer. On the other hand, there’s also making memories and giving these kids a day they’ll remember for their life. If they don’t make it, it will be a memory they always have. [Their family] will remember the things that Whip has provided for her and provided for all the kids fighting. It depends on what avenue you want to go down. They’re both critical for pediatric cancer; the quality of life and the research. Depending on what you feel inclined to donate to, there’s options for both on the website.”

Lyndsi said Belous and Whip Pediatric Cancer have tried to be there for her family since Aubrey was first diagnosis but connected when Aubrey relapsed the first time.

“She has done more for keeping my children happy and always supporting them in any way, whether it’s a phone call or a toy in the hospital,” Lyndsi said. “Supporting me and my husband and being there as someone who cares and wants to help us find resources. That is invaluable. There is so much I could say about her and her foundation. I pray that she continues to keep doing this. I know it’s so hard for someone to see what she sees, but she really is changing lives in those rooms. Kids light up when they see her.”

Belous also asked people for help getting Swift’s attention on Aubrey’s behalf. She said people could reach out to her or her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, by tagging them on social media.

“Obviously, it’s a long shot, but if enough people are tagging, I don’t know, maybe they’ll pick it up somehow.”

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox.Tue, Sep 3, 2024 at 11:02 am ET|Updated Tue, Sep 3, 2024 at 11:11 am ET