It happened. Twenty-six year old Tiffany Rich was able to check one of two things off her bucket list: Meeting Taylor Swift.
Tiffany, who's on a wait list for a double-lung transplant — the other thing on her bucket list — made headlines when she posted a photo online on July 31 hoping Swift would see it and agree to meet her and her best friend during her concert at Levi's Stadium in California's Bay Area last Saturday. The photo — along with #Lungs4Tiff went viral — and the rest is history.
"I heard from Taylor's people about a week after I posted the viral photo," Tiffany, who lives in Brentwood, California, said. "I had to wait over the weekend to call them because I got the number late Friday night and they were out of the office.
"I finally got the awesome news on Tuesday when I was able to get in contact with them," she continued. "They said 'Taylor saw your post' and I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. Then they explained to me that they wanted to make this happen and Taylor wanted to meet me."
Tiffany described the whole thing as "surreal."
"When I got off the phone, I cried tears of joy," Tiffany said. "My dream was going to come true because of all the love and support of people retweeting, reposting, and sharing my photo. It was a feeling that I could never describe."
Swift's team arranged for second row seats and a meet-and-greet for Tiffany and her friend. "I had no words, this was the best day ever," Tiffany said. "So when I met Taylor it was for a few minutes, but that was all the time I needed. I had butterflies in my stomach before I went in there. When I saw her I gave her a big hug and talked to her about my post."
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Swift told her that a number of people had been sending her Tiffany's post. "She acknowledged that I was so strong and courageous," Tiffany said. "I thanked her for being my inspiration to get through everything and that meant a lot to her that she could do something to help me. Taylor is such a sweet and nice woman. It was such a magical night that I will never forget."
Because no dream is too big �� thank you @taylorswift13 �� The best day EVER #lungs4tiff pic.twitter.com/4YocHJgAIt — Tiffany Rich (@tiffrich22) August 16, 2015
Tiffany's wish came true last night when she was able to meet Taylor! #Lungs4Tiff #1989TourSantaClara pic.twitter.com/Ilm3Jo1Q1A — Taylor Swift Updates (@TSwiftLA) August 16, 2015
Thank you everyone for your constant love and support!!! Because of all your help and the help of social media, I AM MEETING TAYLOR SWIFT! �� — Tiffany Rich (@tiffrich22) August 13, 2015