ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) -
Taylor Swift fans flocked to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul this weekend to hear the star sing, but one first-grader from Mankato, Minn., got to meet the songstress herself.For 7-year-old Madison Harbarth, the Saturday night concert is one she'll never forget -- but though the music made for a great night, what happened before the event stole the show.
"She was nice and tall and pretty," Harbarth recalled.
The young student got a personal meet-and-greet with her musical idol, and she admits she was nervous.
"I couldn't really say anything," Harbarth beamed.
Her dream was made possible by the Kids Wish Network. For Harbarth, who was born with a rare condition that caused her spine to stop growing in utero, her biggest wish was to meet the star whose songs she just can't stop singing.
"I told Taylor, 'I wore out your CD,'" she remembered.
On Friday night, Harbarth's mother, Pam, got the call that her daughter's wish was about to come true.
"I had to sit down when their PR person called," Pam Harbarth admitted. "I said, 'Are you sure this is for real?'"
The pictures prove it was real, and they still stun the Minnesota family.
"She made this face like I've never seen before -- in aw," Pam Harbarth recalled. "I think Rick and I were more star-struck because we both had tears in our eyes because our daughter is getting to fulfill the biggest dream of her life."
Swift also wrote a special note to Madison that read, "To Madison: You are beautiful and perfect. Love, Taylor."
Those words are fitting for the girl who gives a voice to Gillette Children's Hospital's Cure Pity campaign, which rejects the notion that kids living with disabilities need pity. She even brought a sign to the show to express those sentiments that read: "If you are lucky enough to be different, never change."
Now, the little role model has positive reinforcement from her role model to keep inspiring her.
"She likes me the way I am," Harbarth said.
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