CATHOLIC HEALTH EAST
Dozens of pediatric patients glammed it up, took to the dance floor and enjoyed "A Night Under the Stars" last month during the second annual prom at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa, Fla.
Hosted by St. Joseph's Children's Child Life team, hospital staff and a cadre of volunteers, the event gives sick children who normally might not be able to attend a prom, the chance to dress up for an evening of dancing, hamming it up with friends and munching on snacks.
"It's very fun and light-hearted— it's kids just being kids, being silly and dancing — it's a great time," says Shannon McQuown, a Child Life specialist at St. Joseph's Children's.
The festivities began the afternoon before the prom, with patients browsing and selecting prom wear donated by hospital employees. Eleven-year-old patient Antonia Gurley, whose immune disorder brings her to St. Joseph's Children's every four weeks for treatment, says she tried on a lot of dresses. "Then, I found my perfect dress. It was black and it had straps, and it had diamonds on the top part.
"I felt like a princess when I found my dress," she says.
The next day, prom goers got their hair and makeup done by professionals who donated their time. The kids donned their gowns and tuxes and then made their way to a hospital auditorium-turned-dance hall.
"We had beautiful decorations, lots of twinkle lights, so a lot of kids were just kind of overwhelmed the minute they walked into the room by how cool we made the room," says McQuown.
More than 70 children, from toddlers to teens, and their parents took part; nurses and Child Life staff were on hand in their professional capacity and as dance partners. Professional photographers memorialized the evening.
The rhinestone-bedecked Antonia enjoyed the evening with her best friend, who also is a patient. "She didn't want to dance, but I grabbed her hand and said, 'Come on! Let's Dance!' I couldn't jump or anything because I just had surgery, but I still tried to dance."