'Taylor is thinking about you,' Andrea Swift tells 11-year-old with viral costume
INDIANAPOLIS — Henry Hinson sits outside Yolk, a brunch spot in downtown Indy, with a navy blue Taylor Swift hoodie and an unwavering smile plastered across his face. The sweatshirt was a gift from Swift's mom Andrea on Friday night at the Eras Tour.
The 11-year-old went viral in October after his mom, Erin Hinson, posted a TikTok of him in his Halloween costume. The freckled boy with kind eyes was wearing an orange and pink blended suit with a parachute flap affixed to the back of his wheelchair. Henry wanted to dress up as his favorite dancer on the Eras Tour, Kameron Saunders, in the outfit seen at the very beginning of the three-hour show.
He came up with the idea after watching the Eras Tour movie at AMC in the fall of 2023.
"When we walked out of the theatre after the first time we saw the movie, Henry was like, 'Mom, I want to be one of those backup dancers,'" Hinson says. "That's what he did. I'll never forget. We were in the parking lot and loading him into our van."
Hinson and her husband figured out how to use pool noodles so the parachute flap could open and close like the ones during the overture of the Eras Tour. The viral video caught the attention of Taylor Nation, Swift's in-house marketing team, in mid-October. They sent Hinson a message that the two could attend night one at Lucas Oil Stadium. The family drove from Louisville, Kentucky, and Henry wore his famous parachute outfit. When the mom and son picked up the tickets at will call, they realized they were in section 143.
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"It's the 'I Love You' section," Henry says smiling. "One is for 'I,' four is for 'love' and three is for 'you.'"
Swift fans stopped Henry incessantly to take photos with him as he made his way inside Lucas Oil Stadium. He loved every minute of the show and had no idea he would get a surprise visit from "Mama Swift." During the song "Marjorie," Andrea Swift appeared.
"All of a sudden there was a big group of people that came behind us and I was looking around," Hinson says about seeing Swift's publicist and some security guards standing next to her. "I looked over at Henry and Taylor's mom was hugging him and just welcoming him to the concert."
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Hinson captured some photos and videos of the sweet exchange. Swift's team did the same, more than likely to show the superstar after the concert.
"(Andrea) was so incredibly kind and she said some amazing things to both Henry and me," Hinson says. "I hugged her and said, 'From one mom to another, thank you for sharing your child with us.' And then she said, 'Taylor is thinking about you,' to Henry."
Andrea handed the 11-year-old a tote bag of merchandise including a T-shirt and navy blue hoodie.
"To sum it up, it was awesome," Henry gleams as Hinson gets teary-eyed.
"It's incredibly kind and generous that they took not only time out of their day to make sure that my child had the most amazing night and went a step further to come and meet him and welcome him to the show," she says through tears. "To see that he is a beloved member of this Swiftie community, I'm just incredibly grateful."
It's been a long time coming
Henry was born with spina bifida, a developmental disability that occurs at birth and affects the spine.
"It's considered a snowflake condition," Hinson says, "so it's literally different for every person that has it. In Henry's specific case, he has no feeling from about below his chest bone, chest cavity and down."
"He has a couple other physical conditions that came along with it," the mom explains, "like a nonverbal learning disorder. So he can struggle to regulate emotions. But for the most part he is a mainstream kiddo."
The Montessori middle school student is taking advanced classes. He plays baseball. He displays school spirit as a cheerleader. He loves to swim. He dominates Roblox, an online game. But his proudest title is Swiftie.
"I think the world is incredibly messy right now," Hinson says. "There are wars and this crazy election, and then there's Henry's joy in these videos and the pride he feels over his costume. For 23 seconds, he's infused the world with a little happiness, and it is the privilege of a lifetime to be able to share Henry with the world because how you see him in those videos is exactly who he is."
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