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High schooler makes 8-year-old leukemia patient her prom date

3 min read
High schooler makes 8-year-old leukemia patient her prom date

High schooler, Shelby Butler, has the pleasure of taking her hero to prom!

Ah, prom night. Such a magical and enchanting evening for high schoolers. It’s the final extravagant social outing you experience during your high school years.

For many, that means the night has to be absolutely perfect. Perfect shoes, perfect attire, perfect makeup, perfect hair, and yes…the perfect date.

Shelby Butler, a teenager from Georgia, USA, definitely found the perfect date for her senior prom. She asked the strongest, most courageous, and inspirational person she knew: 8-year-old Alex Richards.

Alex may be young, but he’s already had three intense battles with cancer. He was diagnosed with leukemia when he was only 4 years old. Ever since, it’s been an uphill battle, but even under the forlorn circumstances that he has faced, he’s come out on top every time.

 

invitation 1

To many, that makes young Alex a superhero. In fact, that’s exactly the way Shelby Butler sees him.

In her “promposal”, composed on poster boards, she made sure to emphasize the things that make Alex Richards super:

“Superman is cool because he scales tall buildings. Batman is cool because he drives the fanciest car on the planet. Alex is cool because he never stops fighting. I would like my superhero Alex to be my date to the prom.”

On the next poster, she added the option for Richards to checkmark his answer. How could he refuse such a touching offer?

 

invitaiton
Alex accepted the invitation, and will be attending Apalachee High School’s senior prom later this April. Hopefully Alex is ready to suit up for the big date!

 

High schooler makes 8-year-old leukemia patient her prom date

Thanks to the kind, warm heart of Shelby Butler, people everywhere will get a chance to learn more about Alex’s fight against cancer. Alex continues his inspirational uphill battle, but a fun outing like this will give him some well earned time away from treatments.

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“It was really heartwarming for me because he goes through so much, In my eyes I’m seeing it as her giving up her senior prom and being with her friends, but she’s making sure he has a good time and getting away from the hospital for a little while to have fun,” said mother, Sheri Richards in an interview with TODAY.com.

Here’s to eagerly awaiting the amazing prom pictures!

READ: 3 Cancer survivors recreate viral photo to celebrate their recovery

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Santiago Santa Cruz

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