Injured Taylor Swift Fan Whose Family Died in Crash Wants to Meet the Singer for ‘Strength to Keep Going’ (Exclusive)
Mar. 15, 2025Aubrey and Nicole Bogacki; Taylor Swift.Photo:Courtesy of Jamie Ward; Getty
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Courtesy of Jamie Ward; Getty
Taylor Swiftfan Aubrey Bogacki, the sole survivor of aJuly 20 car crashthat claimed the lives of her dad and two siblings, “needs” to meet the“Soon You’ll Get Better”singer — even if it’s just for “five minutes.”That’s the latest goal for Jamie Ward, the founder of nonprofit organizationJamie’s Dream Team, who is already making the injured11-year-old’s dream of seeing Swift in concertcome true with tickets to the Eras Tour.“We need Taylor Swift to meet this girl,” Ward, 37, exclusively tells PEOPLE, adding that it would be “remarkable” if the 14-time Grammy winner picked Aubrey to receive thecoveted black fedorathat she gives to apre-selected fanwhile performing “22” at every tour stop.“Oh my gosh, my heart would be so full. That needs to be the final piece of her puzzle …to move on, to be able to have that strength to keep going,” Ward says of Aubrey, who will attend Swift’s Nov. 3 show in Indianapolis.That show will come more than three months after Aubrey was hospitalized after the crash that killed her dad Nathan Bogacki, 44, sister Emma, 17, and brother Grant, 13, in Slippery Rock Township in Pennsylvania.Aubrey Bogacki (second from right) after being released from the hospital.Courtesy Jamie WardAubrey spent 19 days in a hospital for treatment for neck injuries, a broken arm, a collapsed lung and other injuries before being released on Aug. 8 to return home, where she’ll continue physically and mentally healing alongside her mother, Nicole Bogacki, and other loved ones.Ward, who met Aubrey for the first time on Aug. 2 while she was still in the hospital,presented Aubrey with Eras Tour ticketsas well as tickets to Disney World on the day she returned home.“We woke her up from a nap and told her,” Ward recalls, adding that Aubrey was “so happy” to get the tickets. “Her smile, just her smile when we told her, lit up the room, and her reaction — her look in her eyes — was just exactly what I hoped for, especially for the circumstances that she’s in.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.When Ward asked Aubrey why she liked Swift, the girl answered like a true Swiftie. “She told me there’s a meaning behind every one of Taylor’s songs,” Ward explains. “It’s true. Taylor Swift relates to families. Every young girl, every woman can relate to her. And she writes songs to relate to her fans.”Ward, who founded Jamie’s Dream Team in 2005, says the nonprofit has granted more than “30,000 dreams nationally,” including Aubrey’s dream.AGoFundMe pageset up to help the family pay for medical and funeral expenses has raised more than $175,000 as of Friday, Aug. 16.“We’re hoping that they have at least a moment of happiness before the holidays come,” Ward says of the Bogacki family’s grieving process. “To give them hope, to give them strength to keep fighting, to keep feeling, to show them people care, that they’re not alone.”
Taylor Swiftfan Aubrey Bogacki, the sole survivor of aJuly 20 car crashthat claimed the lives of her dad and two siblings, “needs” to meet the“Soon You’ll Get Better”singer — even if it’s just for “five minutes.”
That’s the latest goal for Jamie Ward, the founder of nonprofit organizationJamie’s Dream Team, who is already making the injured11-year-old’s dream of seeing Swift in concertcome true with tickets to the Eras Tour.
“We need Taylor Swift to meet this girl,” Ward, 37, exclusively tells PEOPLE, adding that it would be “remarkable” if the 14-time Grammy winner picked Aubrey to receive thecoveted black fedorathat she gives to apre-selected fanwhile performing “22” at every tour stop.
“Oh my gosh, my heart would be so full. That needs to be the final piece of her puzzle …to move on, to be able to have that strength to keep going,” Ward says of Aubrey, who will attend Swift’s Nov. 3 show in Indianapolis.
That show will come more than three months after Aubrey was hospitalized after the crash that killed her dad Nathan Bogacki, 44, sister Emma, 17, and brother Grant, 13, in Slippery Rock Township in Pennsylvania.
Aubrey Bogacki (second from right) after being released from the hospital.Courtesy Jamie Ward
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Courtesy Jamie Ward
Aubrey spent 19 days in a hospital for treatment for neck injuries, a broken arm, a collapsed lung and other injuries before being released on Aug. 8 to return home, where she’ll continue physically and mentally healing alongside her mother, Nicole Bogacki, and other loved ones.
Ward, who met Aubrey for the first time on Aug. 2 while she was still in the hospital,presented Aubrey with Eras Tour ticketsas well as tickets to Disney World on the day she returned home.
“We woke her up from a nap and told her,” Ward recalls, adding that Aubrey was “so happy” to get the tickets. “Her smile, just her smile when we told her, lit up the room, and her reaction — her look in her eyes — was just exactly what I hoped for, especially for the circumstances that she’s in.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
When Ward asked Aubrey why she liked Swift, the girl answered like a true Swiftie. “She told me there’s a meaning behind every one of Taylor’s songs,” Ward explains. “It’s true. Taylor Swift relates to families. Every young girl, every woman can relate to her. And she writes songs to relate to her fans.”
Ward, who founded Jamie’s Dream Team in 2005, says the nonprofit has granted more than “30,000 dreams nationally,” including Aubrey’s dream.
AGoFundMe pageset up to help the family pay for medical and funeral expenses has raised more than $175,000 as of Friday, Aug. 16.
“We’re hoping that they have at least a moment of happiness before the holidays come,” Ward says of the Bogacki family’s grieving process. “To give them hope, to give them strength to keep fighting, to keep feeling, to show them people care, that they’re not alone.”
source: people.com
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