Taylor Swift responds to fan's invitation to prom

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -

We have seen it before - people asking celebrities to military balls and proms. And now, Taylor Swift is taking it a step further for one adoring fan.

When she found out a high school senior in New Jersey battling leukemia had asked her to prom, she said 'no,' but came up with an even better idea.

"This time around I wasn't expecting it at all. I was living my high school life," Kevin McGuire said.

The leukemia was supposed to be gone, but McGuire found himself back at the hospital for bone marrow biopsies, spinal taps and chemotherapy.

One day, the 18-year-old football player from Stratford, NJ, was sitting with his sister, Victoria, when they decided he should ask Swift to his prom June 1.

"I thought of someone who is strong and confident and who will make me feel like I belong there that night. Someone who's beautiful and gorgeous," McGuire said.

McGuire said Swift's song 'You Belong With Me,' about an outsider who gets the football player, is one of his favorites.

"You see all the other celebrities just on the news about being in jail and on drugs and all that kind of stuff. But Taylor is just a great girl and a positive role model," he said.

The Facebook campaign launched by McGuire's sister to get Taylor Swift to his prom has gained tens of thousands of hits of support from strangers and celebrities.

And in response, Taylor Swift posted on her Facebook page, "Kevin, I'm sorry but I won't be able to make it to your prom. But I was wondering. The (Academy of County Music) Awards are coming up. Would you be my date? Love, Taylor."

When Kevin McGuire heard the news, his response was it is 10 times better than the prom.

Swift's publicist says the singer heard about McGuire's prom question on Facebook.

The ACM Awards are being held April 1 in Las Vegas.

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