14-Year-Old Cancer Victim Unable To Attend Prom, Friends Bring Party To Her Hospital Room Instead

When Katelyn Norman, a brave 14-year-old girl from LaFollette, Tennessee who suffers from cancer, was deemed too ill to attend her prom, her friends decided to bring the festivities to her hospital bedside instead.

Katelyn is suffering from osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that will soon take the young woman’s life cruelly away from her. She has been fighting the disease for months, but last week it was revealed that her chemotherapy treatments were no longer working.

Despite this grave and disastrous news, Katelyn remained positive and decided to write her up her bucket list which included a slow dance, last kiss, and a date to the prom.

Her local community and school then organized a special soiree for Katelyn at her school, which was scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, March 26.

Harrowingly though, Katelyn started to have trouble breathing and was airlifted to hospital for treatment, meaning that her evening was surely ruined.

In a moment of inspiration, Katelyn’s classmates and relatives decided to bring the party to her hospital room instead, filling her surroundings with balloons, music, and a well-dressed date, meaning that she could fulfill all of her desires.

Katelyn’s condition has since stabilized, and she was in high spirits after the evening’s activities. A series of emotional and beautiful images have been released showing Katelyn, who had insisted that the party should continue despite her absence, beaming as she received a corsage from her date.

Outside the hospital, thousands of people lined the streets and provided a candle-lit vigil for Katelyn, as friends danced, drank, and ate at the event, which was given the title, “Katie in the Sky with Diamonds.”

The Campbell County mayor, William Bailey, also attend the prom, and then announced that Tuesday March 25 would now be known as “Katelyn Norman Day.”

You can even donate money to help fund Katelyn’s bucket list, which includes getting a tattoo and learning to drive, here.

Here are several photos from Katelyn’s prom:

Katelyn’s Prom photos courtesy of Michael Dayah