Taylor Swift performing "Ronan" at Stand Up To Cancer.

Maya Thompson is a young mother, married to her husband Woody, with three sons; twins Liam and Quinn and their little brother Ronan who was born May 12, 2007. "The Journey Begins" was Maya Thompson's first online post, written after Maya and her sons returned home to Phoenix from a visit with family and friends in Washington. She was taking a picture of the three of them on her trip when she noticed that her youngest son's eye seemed to be a "little off" in the photos.

She returned home and brought him to doctors right away where he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma with cancerous masses in his abdomen and his orbital bone. That post, written on August 13, 2010, ended with, "The Thompson Family Combat Boots are on!"

They put up an incredibly heart breaking battle too.

Maya continued to write about her and her family's fight for little Ronan's life almost daily. Posting updates on his treatment, news about her family and most poignantly her love for little Ronan. She was a fierce fighter and refused to give up, researching and trying different treatments even after Ronan was admitted into a local hospice near the end of his life. Unfortunately, her love wasn't enough to bring Ronan back as she had so desperately hoped.

Ronan Thompson who was the inspiration for Taylor Swift's song.

"Ronan Sean Thompson left just as he arrived, happy and peaceful in his Mother's arms." on May 9, 2011. Just before he died, Maya whispered into his ear that she loved him, but it was time to go and she kept saying, “Come with me, Ronan. Let’s get out of here.”

It was these last words that inspired the lyrics to a new song recently released by Taylor Swift at the Stand Up To Cancer telecast on September 7, 2012. Taylor had, unbeknownst to Maya, been following her blog and decided to write a song about Ronan. A week before she performed the song for the first time, she contacted Maya to tell her about it. "Hey Maya, it’s Taylor Swift... I wrote a song for Ronan... ”

Taylor Swift is a young singer/songwriter who has won numerous music awards and has sold over 22 million albums and 50 million song downloads worldwide. She has also given her time and funding to numerous children's charitable organizations.

After reading Maya's blog she couldn't forget about Ronan either. Taylor wanted Maya's permission to perform "Ronan" at the Stand Up To Cancer telecast. She had given Maya co-authorship of the song since many of the lines were taken from Maya's thoughts in her blog.

Stand Up To Cancer was founded in May 2008 to fund cancer research. The money raised by Stand Up To Cancer funds scientific "Dream Teams" which work collaboratively as research teams instead of competing against each other as most other research centers do. To date the organization has funded 350 scientists and has awarded $109 million in grant commitments. Donations can be made on line in memory of a loved one and you can start your own team to show your support for the fight against cancer by helping to raise money with your team. See more information here.

Stand Up To Cancer aired on television on September 7, 2012 and was the third fundraising telecast the organization has held since its inception. This year's show has raised pledges totalling more than $81 million so far and it is still not too late to donate.

All proceeds from "Ronan" will be donated by Taylor to cancer research. Visit iTunes to download "Ronan". As co-author, Maya will receive a portion of the proceeds of "Ronan" which she plans to give to the Ronan Thompson Foundation, a non-profit organization she founded dedicated to finding a cure for neuroblastoma, that's ultimate end is to build a dream Neuroblastoma Care and Research Center.

Maya is happily expecting her fourth child. She continues to write to Ronan every day on her blog.

Watch:

Taylor Swift performs "Ronan" at the Stand Up To Cancer 2012 Performance

Read more:

Rockstar Ronan | Maya Thompson's Blog

The Ronan Thompson Foundation

Stand Up To Cancer | This Is Where The End Of Cancer Begins