#swiftietothecore

[bigreputation92592]

Please help me make my wildest dreams come true! I want to dance like a disco ball, and even though I am quadriplegic, I still know how to shake it off.

@taylorswift

Dear Ms. Taylor Alison Swift and Management team:

My name is Kelly Sagiv, and I am currently 30-year-old. I was 10 years old when I was involved in a SUV accident. I was diagnosed with a tare of the brainstem, which led me to become a C1-C2 quadriplegic with vocal cord paralysis. 

On April 13, 2003, my family and I were driving from New York to Florida when the back left tire blew out and as a result my I were ejected from the SUV along with my father, sister Lily, twin sister Ashley, and my two dogs. 

Luckily, an off-duty nurse was driving behind us on her way to work at the hospital. She called the first responders to help us. The police and firefighters managed to locate my father, my sisters and my 2 dogs. However, they struggled to find me.  My mother was still stuck in the car, and started screaming, "Where is Kelly?" Having heard my mother shrieking, my twin sister Ashley immediately crawled out of the grass and began searching for me. It was as if something was guiding her to me. “Twin intuition is a real thing!” They found my body in the woods. The off-duty nurse began CPR and was able to resuscitate me. Then she feels my pulse, but I was still unconscious.             “Light! Give me light! “Helen Keller. You, Taylor Swift, mentioned this in one of your tracks on your 1989 album, “Out of the Woods”.  “Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods yet? Are we in the clear? Are we in the clear? Are we in the clear yet? In the clear yet, Good” (Are we out of the woods?)

My sister Lily and I were airlifted to Medical University of South Carolina. I had to get a tracheostomy placed and have a feeding tube inserted. There's a proverb that goes something like, "As you approach death, a brilliant light emerges in your eyes." After being dead for a few minutes, I was miraculously revived. I can't say for sure if I genuinely saw the light before my eyes as death approached. Much of my time at the South Carolina hospital is a total haze. I felt like I was floating on a bed of clouds, and all I could see were the lights and the people sitting around me.

After several CT scans and MRI’s, we were told that my neck and vertebra were dislocated. The doctors in Mount Sinai looked at my mother, stunned, and told her, "You are very lucky that Kelly didn’t die." The doctor informed my mother that I had to undergo a very risky with only 3% survival rate to attach my neck to my body.  I was not able to move any part of my body, and I was like a vegetable, only able communicate with my eyes. 

On the tenth day since arriving at Mount Sinai Hospital, I underwent a procedure in which a halo was placed on my head to prevent it from moving. I felt like a freak, like I looked like a scary Frankenstein. I did not realize my injury, my diagnosis, my sister's diagnosis, my father's diagnosis, and everything else. A few weeks later, I found out I had a tare of the brainstem; my dad had a spinal cord injury, broken ribs, and a broken neck; and my sister Lily had a T6 spinal cord injury.

I’ve lived with this for 20 years. It’s still really hard living without mobility or a voice. I guess I just got used to it and am surviving. 

My sister Lily and I have a special bond in which we share a form of paralysis. We also shared other passions in sports and music, specifically our love of Taylor Swift. We even changed up some of the lyrics to fit us. On her album Fearless, she sings, You belong with me, but she wears short skirts I wear T-shirts. She's cheer captain, and "I'm in a wheelchair."

Taylor, you are the queen of the "bridge." We often make videos reciting the bridge part from her songs. Lily and I find your music therapeutic. There is something powerful, talented, brilliant, brave, fearless, meaningful, and smooth about Taylor's music. Taylor's music is inspirational. You are a lyrical genius. In the 1989 album's song "Clean," you sing, "The water filled my lungs; I screamed so loud, but no one heard a thing." Although I do not have a voice to sing along, I feel these words every day. Things happen in life. There are always ups and downs. Whenever I felt down, whether related to my paralysis or the world, I played "Shake It Off." I breathe, with the song blasting, shaking my head back and forth, and screaming, "Fuck yes, shake it off!"

I find myself getting lost in Taylor's lyrics. As Taylor Swift sings in All Too Well, "Time won't fly; it's like I'm paralyzed by it. I'd like to be my old self again, but I'm still trying to find it." Honestly, that is exactly how I feel. I am still trying to love myself again. I used to be a person who loved life. I used to be that person before I had my accident. I still have that person inside me waiting to explode and discover the world again.            

I had gotten pneumonia. Sadly, all I wanted was to be alone in the room and listen to Taylor Swift music at the hospital. 

My sister Lily decided to come into my room, and all I wanted to do now was change another lyric to Taylor’s song; we decided to change the lyrics to "Clean," " The water filled my lungs; I screamed so loud, but no one heard a thing, and I added, "Medicine Drips, Now I could Finally Breath! 

When such moments come, I discover that I am using my thoughts to wage war against the monsters that are inside me. My continuous battle with depression is something that I am aware of, and I am doing my best to cope with it. Because I don't always feel driven to accomplish anything, it is challenging for me to get anything done at all. 

My mood swings fluctuate like a scale that fluctuates up and down. It's never consistent. My critical internal monologue tells me that I am ugly, fat, hopeless, and worthless, and have a big, unsightly nose. It also tells me that I am obese. In my opinion, there will never be anyone who wants to be with me. In my mind, I think that my friends only spend time with me because they feel sorry for me and want to make me feel better about myself. I feel like this is the only reason they hang out together. 

Sometimes I get the impression that no one appreciates my personality or the kind of person I am. I get the feeling that I am "always" the problem, much like how Taylor Swift referred to herself in the song "Anti Hero" from her album "Midnights," saying "It's me, Hi!" I'm the problem; it's me, it's me, hi! I'm the problem; it's me. Everybody agrees. I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror. It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero."

          Most of my life, I've been embarrassed about my appearance, and sometimes I feel like everyone around me is "gorgeous on the inside and outside." While I'm like the ugly duckling of the wicked west, who has no regard for her own appearance because she believes she is worthless, unattractive, useless, and fat to everyone around her, according to her, she does not believe she is worthy as a person and will never find true love. The more I look around, the more I find myself feeling jealous of what other people are doing in my environment that I am not able to do. When I see people doing everything, they want without depending on anyone, I become emotional, teary-eyed, and depressed. I believe in my heart that they live a better life than I do. They do not need to rely on anyone for assistance, as I do. When I am among other people, sometimes I feel like saying, "Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby." "And I'm a monster on the hill." Mentioned in the song, “Anti- Hero” by Taylor Swift from her “Midnights” album.                            

I’ve been voiceless for almost 20 years now. Before Taylor Swift came into the music industry, I was broken inside. You don’t understand how much Taylor Swift has helped me in my life and given me positive and optimistic vibes through her music journey. Thank you for being vulnerable, opening your heart, and sharing your journey with the world.

You don't realize how important you are to me and how much you contribute to my life. I'm emotionally writing this to you. You mean so much to me. Your lyrics are inspiring and powerful to me. Your songs help me get through life every day. You make me want to fight and never give up. You inspire me to remain optimistic about life. Your songs shine brightly and brighten my day. I want to attend The Eras Tour, not only because I love your music but also because I want to be there. I want to be there because your music keeps me optimistic about life and calms my mental health. “Best believe I'm still bejeweled When I walk in the room... I can still make the whole place shimmer.”

My transformation into a Swiftie fan began when I heard Love Story, a song from the Fearless album. Being a Swiftie fan has always been dear to my heart, and it only gets stronger with every passing day or year. I had a fantastic time on both the Speak Now Tour and the Red Tours. It has been a tremendous privilege of mine to see both global tours in person. Due to my need for constant assistance, I was unable to go to either the 1989 world tour or the Reputation Stadium Tour. As you were touring the globe, I was unable to travel into any of the cities or states see you on your world tour. My sister Lily and my cousin from New York made the trip to Florida to see you on the 1989 world tour. My sister Lily also was able to fly into Phoenix, AZ, with my cousin to see you on the Reputation Stadium Tour. The circumstances have left me feeling down and discouraged. After learning that you had added a show at MetLife on Sunday, May28, 2023 on The Eras Tour, I waited for wheelchair accessible tickets to go on sale via TicketMaster so that I wouldn't have to go through the same upsetting and depressing experience again.

I, along with many other Swift fans, was outraged. I logged on to Ticketmaster at 1:30 pm, waiting for my turn. After two hours of waiting, it directed me to where it says general availability will be Friday at 10:00 a.m. EST. The next morning, Ticketmaster tweeted that they were no longer selling general admission tickets.

Unfortunately, scalpers purchased most of the tickets, and each ticket is triple the price! Wheelchair-accessible tickets cost more than regular tickets. I find it disgusting and unpleasant. I feel like scalpers bought the wheelchair accessible tickets on the floor and then changed the price for each wheelchair accessible ticket by quadrupling the price. They take advantage, and it’s disgraceful! I need to purchase at least 5 tickets, and each ticket costs $2700 and that doesn't include the tax fees. It is too much for me to pay because I still must purchase airline tickets. I know that you’re already informed about the Taylor Swift’s tickets. I’m reaching out anyways in the hope you will be able to help me obtain 4-5 wheelchair accessible tickets on the floor at most. I would need my families to help me 24/7. I am quadriplegic and have vocal cord paralysis, but I still know how to shake it off! I hope you’re able to help me. I hope you come across this letter.

Thank you for your time. Thank you for taking the time to read about me and my story. Means the world to me. @taylorswift

Sincerely,

Kelly Sagiv @taylornation