NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Lisa Fleming, a 49-year-old mom of four, has channeled her love of Taylor Swift into a business venture to raise money for her family as she takes care of her son with complex medical needs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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She tells PEOPLE that, after launching an Etsy shop selling friendship bracelets, the online Swiftie community embraced her with open arms<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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\u201cThey\u2019ve been amazing \u2014 just the most genuine, caring and supportive group of people,\u201d says Fleming of the fandom<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been a fan since the beginning,\u201d 49-year-old mom of four Lisa Fleming tells PEOPLE about her love of Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n
She was there when the singer was a young country star trying to make it big in Nashville. And she continued to watch as Swift released a string of iconic albums, becoming the biggest pop star on the planet.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family says, \u2018Oh, she\u2019s an off-the-rails Swiftie,\u2019 \u201d Fleming continues. \u201cBut how can you not be?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Grammy winner\u2019s music has always soundtracked her life, but Fleming says there\u2019s one album that has resonated more than any other \u2014\u00a0catching her at the most vulnerable moment of her life.<\/p>\n
In September 2023, her adult son, who has lived his entire life with cerebral palsy, developed a ruptured esophagus and was airlifted to an Orlando hospital hours away from their home, where he needed around-the-clock care.<\/p>\n
Amid the life-changing terror of her son\u2019s medical complexities and losing her job because she had to spend so much time by his bedside, Swift dropped her 10th album Midnights<\/em> \u2014\u00a0and it became Fleming\u2019s lifeline.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\nLisa Fleming<\/p>\n
Lisa Fleming and Son<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cI was listening to it during a really hard time, and it was keeping me uplifted,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
As the weeks in the hospital turned into months, Fleming was searching for a way to bring joy to her son and the other kids in the ward. Halloween was approaching, and many kids couldn\u2019t have candy; some couldn\u2019t even get out of their hospital beds. But one iconic line from the new album kept ringing in her ears: \u201cMake the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it\u201d off of the Midnights<\/em> track \u201cYou\u2019re On Your Own, Kid.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cSo I started making bracelets,\u201d says Fleming, simply.<\/p>\n
Some had Swift\u2019s lyrics, like those fans would later bring and trade en masse<\/a> at the pop superstar\u2019s record-breaking Eras Tour<\/a>. Others featured other messages of \u201cawareness\u201d and \u201cpositivity\u201d about various medical conditions.<\/p>\n\u201cI got to the point where, for Halloween last year, I dressed up in my sparkly Chiefs attire and my sparkly boots, I made bags and bags full of friendship bracelets, and I went out to the neighborhood and I gave them to the kids,\u201d she says. \u201cYou know, everyone loves Taylor Swift.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Lisa](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/YS3kvnSBw5V6YFsNouL33A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTgyMTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/6f858ff63b2fa0d627d63bda1112153c\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nLisa Fleming<\/p>\n
Lisa Fleming’s Friendship Bracelets<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
When Fleming and her son returned home after their hospital stay, things were very different for their family. Their two-income household had dropped to one, and Fleming\u2019s son required more in-home medical equipment, multiplying their family\u2019s expenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of costs, and the insurance doesn’t provide when you’re caring for a person who has such significant needs,\u201d says Fleming. \u201cWe [found ourselves] in a tough spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fleming was still her son\u2019s full-time caretaker. But during her spare moments, she holed up in her \u201cstudio\u201d \u2014\u00a0a work station adorned with her guitars, framed photos of Swift and, of course, thousands of beads \u2014 and kept working on making bracelets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ve been doing all morning,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ll be doing the rest of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Lisa](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/KmaoucL7aI3yB87vgtbz7g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTk2MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/69a4472a51fb56247c9f12455d647df3\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nLisa Fleming<\/p>\n
Lisa Fleming<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
In July 2024, she opened her Etsy shop, Long Story Short Bracelet Co.<\/a>,\u00a0and a community of Swifties online immediately embraced her with open arms. Bigger creators in the Swiftie community on Instagram and TikTok who found her accounts used their own platforms to try and share her story as far and wide as they could.<\/p>\n\u201cThey\u2019ve been amazing \u2014 just the most genuine, caring and supportive group of people,\u201d she says. \u201cIt only took me talking about my son very briefly for everyone to just jump in. They\u2019re like, \u2018We can do this. We can all rally together and get your story out there.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Lisa](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/YQAlWm9O.nP3eyN7q3Q5pw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTkwMjtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/2ccc57721e26183086e3ac1d699ec533\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nLisa Fleming<\/p>\n
Lisa Fleming’s Friendship Bracelets<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Since her launch a year and a half ago, she\u2019s sold thousands of items and received hundreds of glowing reviews on her shop. And on a GoFundMe<\/a> \u2014 which she started to raise the upwards of $80,000 her family needs to purchase a wheelchair van to be able to travel together as a family \u2014\u00a0dozens of sympathetic Swifties have donated $13, a nod to Swift\u2019s favorite number and the community that brought them all together.<\/p>\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cI can\u2019t say enough about the camaraderie and the friendship that is genuinely there,\u201d says Fleming.<\/p>\n
She also gushes about Swift herself and the star\u2019s regular visits to hospitals<\/a> to meet and greet with kids<\/a> receiving care.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s so heartwarming for me to see all of the visits to children\u2019s hospitals she has done and the difference it makes in their lives,\u201d says Fleming. \u201cIt\u2019s so important to bring awareness to kids who are going through things that most people don\u2019t ever have to think about. I\u2019m very grateful to be a part of that community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lisa Fleming, a 49-year-old mom of four, has channeled her love of Taylor Swift into a business venture to raise money for her family as she takes care of her son with complex medical needs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
She tells PEOPLE that, after launching an Etsy shop selling friendship bracelets, the online Swiftie community embraced her with open arms<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been amazing \u2014 just the most genuine, caring and supportive group of people,\u201d says Fleming of the fandom<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been a fan since the beginning,\u201d 49-year-old mom of four Lisa Fleming tells PEOPLE about her love of Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n
She was there when the singer was a young country star trying to make it big in Nashville. And she continued to watch as Swift released a string of iconic albums, becoming the biggest pop star on the planet.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family says, \u2018Oh, she\u2019s an off-the-rails Swiftie,\u2019 \u201d Fleming continues. \u201cBut how can you not be?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Grammy winner\u2019s music has always soundtracked her life, but Fleming says there\u2019s one album that has resonated more than any other \u2014\u00a0catching her at the most vulnerable moment of her life.<\/p>\n
In September 2023, her adult son, who has lived his entire life with cerebral palsy, developed a ruptured esophagus and was airlifted to an Orlando hospital hours away from their home, where he needed around-the-clock care.<\/p>\n
Amid the life-changing terror of her son\u2019s medical complexities and losing her job because she had to spend so much time by his bedside, Swift dropped her 10th album Midnights<\/em> \u2014\u00a0and it became Fleming\u2019s lifeline.<\/p>\n Lisa Fleming<\/p>\n Lisa Fleming and Son<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cI was listening to it during a really hard time, and it was keeping me uplifted,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n As the weeks in the hospital turned into months, Fleming was searching for a way to bring joy to her son and the other kids in the ward. Halloween was approaching, and many kids couldn\u2019t have candy; some couldn\u2019t even get out of their hospital beds. But one iconic line from the new album kept ringing in her ears: \u201cMake the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it\u201d off of the Midnights<\/em> track \u201cYou\u2019re On Your Own, Kid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo I started making bracelets,\u201d says Fleming, simply.<\/p>\n Some had Swift\u2019s lyrics, like those fans would later bring and trade en masse<\/a> at the pop superstar\u2019s record-breaking Eras Tour<\/a>. Others featured other messages of \u201cawareness\u201d and \u201cpositivity\u201d about various medical conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cI got to the point where, for Halloween last year, I dressed up in my sparkly Chiefs attire and my sparkly boots, I made bags and bags full of friendship bracelets, and I went out to the neighborhood and I gave them to the kids,\u201d she says. \u201cYou know, everyone loves Taylor Swift.\u201d<\/p>\n Lisa Fleming<\/p>\n Lisa Fleming’s Friendship Bracelets<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n When Fleming and her son returned home after their hospital stay, things were very different for their family. Their two-income household had dropped to one, and Fleming\u2019s son required more in-home medical equipment, multiplying their family\u2019s expenses.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of costs, and the insurance doesn’t provide when you’re caring for a person who has such significant needs,\u201d says Fleming. \u201cWe [found ourselves] in a tough spot.\u201d<\/p>\n Fleming was still her son\u2019s full-time caretaker. But during her spare moments, she holed up in her \u201cstudio\u201d \u2014\u00a0a work station adorned with her guitars, framed photos of Swift and, of course, thousands of beads \u2014 and kept working on making bracelets.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ve been doing all morning,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ll be doing the rest of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n Lisa Fleming<\/p>\n Lisa Fleming<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n In July 2024, she opened her Etsy shop, Long Story Short Bracelet Co.<\/a>,\u00a0and a community of Swifties online immediately embraced her with open arms. Bigger creators in the Swiftie community on Instagram and TikTok who found her accounts used their own platforms to try and share her story as far and wide as they could.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been amazing \u2014 just the most genuine, caring and supportive group of people,\u201d she says. \u201cIt only took me talking about my son very briefly for everyone to just jump in. They\u2019re like, \u2018We can do this. We can all rally together and get your story out there.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Lisa Fleming<\/p>\n Lisa Fleming’s Friendship Bracelets<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Since her launch a year and a half ago, she\u2019s sold thousands of items and received hundreds of glowing reviews on her shop. And on a GoFundMe<\/a> \u2014 which she started to raise the upwards of $80,000 her family needs to purchase a wheelchair van to be able to travel together as a family \u2014\u00a0dozens of sympathetic Swifties have donated $13, a nod to Swift\u2019s favorite number and the community that brought them all together.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t say enough about the camaraderie and the friendship that is genuinely there,\u201d says Fleming.<\/p>\n She also gushes about Swift herself and the star\u2019s regular visits to hospitals<\/a> to meet and greet with kids<\/a> receiving care.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so heartwarming for me to see all of the visits to children\u2019s hospitals she has done and the difference it makes in their lives,\u201d says Fleming. \u201cIt\u2019s so important to bring awareness to kids who are going through things that most people don\u2019t ever have to think about. I\u2019m very grateful to be a part of that community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>
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