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Andrea Swift’s heath status has been a topic of global conversation in recent years, one that’s only grown with the release of Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album, Lover, as well as her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana. One of the tracks in Lover is about Andrea’s battle with cancer; her health is also a topic in the documentary, as well.
In 2015, Taylor first announced that her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Then, in 2019, Taylor revealed that her mother’s cancer was back, and that doctors had also found a brain tumor, as well.
Though it’s not a direct focal point for the documentary, Taylor does address her mother’s health struggles in Miss Americana, saying at one point, “[It] has been really hard for me because she is my favorite person. It woke me up from this life where I used to sweat all these things. But do you really care if the Internet doesn’t like you today if your mom’s sick from her chemo?”
Here’s what you need to know:
Andrea Swift’s Brain Tumor & Cancer Diagnosis: What Is Known
“I could be sitting at the front row at an award show and I still don’t feel like a cool kid,” says @taylorswift13 in this unaired excerpt from our 2011 interview with the musician and her mom, Andrea. Swift is nominated for three #Grammys this year. t.co/uyDKfPle3M
Taylor first announced her mother’s cancer battle in April 2015, in the form of a Tumblr post. Taylor wrote,
For Christmas this year, I asked my mom that one of her gifts to me be her going to the doctor to get screened for any health issues, just to ease some worries of mine. She agreed, and went in to get checked. There were no red flags and she felt perfectly fine, but she did it just to get me and my brother off her case about it.
The results came in, and I’m saddened to tell you that my mom has been diagnosed with cancer. I’d like to keep the details of her condition and treatment plans private, but she wanted you to know.
She wanted you to know because your parents may be too busy juggling everything they’ve got going on to go to the doctor, and maybe you reminding them to go get checked for cancer could possibly lead to an early diagnosis and an easier battle… Or peace of mind in knowing that they’re healthy and there’s nothing to worry about. She wanted you to know why she may not be at as many shows this tour. She’s got an important battle to fight.
In the years since that first announcement, questions around Andrea’s health were constantly circulating. Then, in a January 2020 Variety interview, Swift confirmed that her mother’s cancer had spread, and that doctors had found a brain tumor as well.
Swift said, “While she was going through treatment, they found a brain tumor. And the symptoms of what a person goes through when they have a brain tumor is nothing like what we’ve ever been through with her cancer before. So it’s just been a really hard time for us as a family.”
Swift has also written about her mother’s cancer in the ballad Soon You’ll Get Better. She also confirmed to Variety that her schedule for the next few years would be based upon making sure she could be available for her mother, explaining, “…I also wanted to be able to work as much as I can handle right now, with everything that’s going on at home. And I wanted to figure out a way that I could do both those things.”
For that reason, her Lover stadium tour won’t be as location-heavy as tours have been in the past for Taylor.
Do Andrea Swift’s Health Battles Play a Role in the ‘Miss Americana Documentary’?
An Andrea Swift appreciation post and an article that will make you want to call your Momma. ❤️ Here’s why “nothing else matters” amid Taylor Swift’s mom’s 2nd battle with cancer. t.co/jr8BU9vMno
In Miss Americana, Andrea is present in many scenes, but her health is not the focus of the documentary. However, we do learn that Andrea’s dog is nicknamed her “cancer dog,” and we do learn that Taylor has gained a newfound perspective from her mother’s cancer, finding it easier to tune out background noise that she might have found important in the past.
It’s not just Taylor’s mother who has dealt with cancer, though. In an interview with Elle Magazine in 2019, Taylor revealed that her father, Scott Swift, had battled cancer as well.
Taylor wrote, “I’ve had to learn how to handle serious illness in my family. Both of my parents have had cancer, and my mom is now fighting her battle with it again.”
Taylor continued, “It’s taught me that there are real problems and then there’s everything else. My mom’s cancer is a real problem. I used to be so anxious about daily ups and downs. I give all of my worry, stress, and prayers to real problems now.”
Taylor has not spoken more about her father’s current health status, and it is not a topic of conversation in Miss Americana.