Middleboro Woman Dreams of Post-Cancer Re-Do Picture with Taylor Swift
It has been quite the ride for Courtney Colombo.
Imagine feeling a jolting pain in your tooth, but dismissing it thinking you bit down on something wrong. When the pain finally gets to the point that you go to the dentist, he orders a CT scan that shows a rare cancer in your jaw.
You lose 10 of your bottom teeth when surgeons remove your lower jawbone and then you begin chemotherapy. Meanwhile, a new jawbone is constructed using parts of the bone from your leg.
You finally kick the cancer and are deemed cancer-free when a global pandemic hits that prevents you from getting the dental care you need to get your smile back.
Then, your dentist moves away, leaving you to start from square one.
This has been Colombo's life in a nutshell for five years.
One of the highlights of her life, however, was getting the chance to meet Taylor Swift during the Reputation tour.
"It still feels like a dream," Colombo told Fun 107. "Taylor was so humble and genuine. You can tell how much her fans mean to her. She treated me like I was her best friend."
In an industry that often charges a premium for fans to meet their music idols, Swift never charges a penny. Her management told me the star met thousands of fans during the Reputation tour alone.
Colombo is scheduled to finally get her teeth replaced in a couple of weeks. Her hair has grown back thick as ever. Her new smile will be ready in time for Swift's three shows at Gillette Stadium, and Colombo was lucky enough to score tickets to two of the nights.
There's just one piece of unfinished business.
"When I see the picture of me with Taylor, it is sometimes a punch to the stomach. I just wish that I could have a re-do on the picture with me looking like myself again," Colombo said.
Colombo wrote a letter to Swift in which she says, "I have SO much hair ow. I would love a 'normal' one together. ... An updated picture would be the perfect way to close this chapter and start the next one."
Read the full letter here:
Here's hoping Colombo's heartfelt question makes it into the right hands.