On Saturday, thousands of carolers granted the wish of a terminally ill 8-year-old girl when they surrounded her home in West Reading, Penn., and sang holiday tunes.
Delaney Brown was diagnosed with leukemia in May of this year, according to her family’s fundraising website. Since then, she’s undergone several chemotherapy treatments and a stem cell transplant.
Brown’s parents have documented their daughter’s journey on a Facebook page called Team Laney, which has more than 95,000 likes.
On December 17, the family shared devastating news: Doctors had given Brown only a few weeks to live.
“We will be taking her home on hospice tomorrow and will be trying to let her have as much fun as she can handle,” the family wrote. “Please pray for a miracle. We will be spending every second with her till God decides he needs another beautiful angel up in heaven.”
Just a few days later, almost 10,000 carolers assembled outside of Brown’s house, according to the event's organizers. The family posted a photo on Facebook of Brown with her eyes closed and holding two thumbs up as she heard the music. “I can hear you now!!!” the post read. “Love you!”
The night before the sing-a-long, Brown celebrated her birthday with another wish fulfilled—this one by the pop star Taylor Swift, who spoke with Brown via an Internet video connection.
“Laney lit up and had a huge smile on her face,” read a post from the family on Facebook. “We will hold that memory in our hearts forever.”