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After being diagnosed with an aggressive and rare carcinoma tumor during her sophomore year in March, 16-year-old Jazzy missed her prom.
But, on Thursday afternoon, the Catskill teen got to walk a red carpet in a pink-beaded ball gown, pose for pics with new bestie and fellow patient Samantha,15, and boogie to “Shout” and “Dancing Queen” with her high school boyfriend Liam.
“We get to have our own little prom here,” said Jazzy, who is facing hearing loss from her chemotherapy. “We have a new family here.”
She was one of about 200 people —glammed up patients, families and staffers – in attendance at Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Pediatric Prom, which was held in the transformed West Dining Room inside the renowned hospital.
It was the 35th Pediatric Prom, which started as a small dance party in the hospital unit and has grown to an elaborate ball with fancy dresses, a photo booth, DJs, limos, a milk-and-cookies bar, face paint and lots of dancing.
“Our entire team is committed to making it a special and memorable day for everyone involved,” Rachel Corke, the director of hospital administration for MSK Kids, told The Post.
Against the backdrop of glittery “Starry Night” themed decorations, guests sipped ginger ale and juice and enjoyed mac and cheese and burgers that even the doctors OK’ed just this once.
“I don’t feel like a princess — I feel like a queen,” exulted 7-year-old Maya in between bites of freshly popped popcorn from a festive cart. The tiara-clad tot has been battling neuroblastoma since she was 3 and underwent surgery two years ago to remove a tumor.
Hospital staff danced alongside their brave young charges.
“This is everyone’s favorite day of the year,” said Melissa Seidner, a 31-year-old administrative supervisor in the pediatric division at MSK. “It’s so fun to see all the patients enjoy themselves. It’s a nice break from dealing with what we deal with.”
She wore a jewel green gown that she’d selected from racks of donated dresses in a repurposed hospital rec room turned into “Promingdale’s” by the Society of MSK’s Children’s Committee.
Maggie Kraus, a 17-year-old from Westchester who was diagnosed with leukemia this past November, rocked a soft purple frock with matching head scarf as she partied the afternoon away.
“I love princess dresses,” she said, vowing to wear it for her upcoming 18th birthday in July. “I was really nervous I wouldn’t be able to experience senior prom. But they pulled through.”
Kraus was set to start her next round of chemo a few hours after prom, but she didn’t let it — and the nausea it would likely bring about — take away from her enjoyment of the event.
“Let me have fun,” she said.
As the song “I Will Survive” played poignantly in the background, the competitive equestrian relayed how her “whole world got turned upside down” by her recent diagnosis.
Doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to ride horses for two years.
“I proved them wrong and I’m riding,” said the fearless teen, who volunteers to work with younger kids on the spectrum. “I’m super-scared of needles, but I have to get used to it.”
She shaved off her flowing brown hair — which she loved to dye bright colors — rather than waiting for the side effects of chemo to cause it to fall out.
“I wanted it to be my doing and not the cancer,” she said.
Pediatric oncologist Dr. Andrew Kung told The Post that the prom exemplifies the philosophy at MSK, whose pediatric cancer center is ranked the best in the country and treats people up to age 40.
“This is one of the most special events for us,” he said. “[We’re] not just about curing disease but caring for the patient and family.”
Jon Lyrick was decked out in a show-stopping silver and black suit from Portabella. The 25-year-old from Crown Heights partied with friends as he told The Post that someday he’d “love to come back to prom as a volunteer.”
Lyrick, who has undergone two bone marrow transplants, is feeling stronger every day.
“I love to have fun,” he told The Post between songs on the dance floor, where he happily spun around friends and IV poles. “Today is a good day.”
English (US)