On June 11, 2016, New York Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital hosted its eighth annual Patient Prom. Every year the hospital collects countless donation from generous companies and organizations to piece together a special night for children who truly deserve it.

We have all dreamed of prom night for years and often take attending prom for granted but not the children of NYP hospital. While being a patient in and out of the hospital or even a long term care patient many of the children missed the opportunity to attend their own high school prom. Those are the children that have to endure much greater hardships than most of us will have in a life time yet they still welcome each day with a smile and sincerely take it as a gift.

I have been honored to be a guest at the Patient Prom for the past three years alongside my dear friend who is an in and out patient at the children’s hospital. Each year I am more and more impressed by how well put together the evening is. From the catering to the decorations that match the creative themes, I am left speechless upon entering the prom each year.

All of the details were voted on months before the big night by a group of patients know as C.H.A.T. The C.H.A.T teen advisor group was behind a great deal of the magic and also represent the patient population as a whole. They are the voice of the patients and advocate ways to make patient's stay in the hospital more enjoyable. It was their idea to begin hosting prom and due to its success they will continue on with its tradition.

The annual prom is one day out of the year where each and every patient gets to feel like a character in a fairy tale. Dress boutiques donated floor length gowns in all styles and sizes so every girl could find one that made her feel beautiful as well as suits and ties were made available for the boys to dress to impress. Along with attire being supplied hair, make up and nail services were also conveniently located on each floor of the hospital while everyone was getting ready to walk the red carpet leading to the prom.

When the elevator dings and the doors open, patients do their best cat walk down the red carpet while smiling at all the flashing cameras and lights. In that moment you could see each and every one of them glowing from within. It’s hard not to cry while witnessing something so beautiful. There is no way to describe it besides truly amazing.

Once the party started the dance floor was filled with so much life and the DJ played all of their requests. Watching all of the patients interact with each other and exchanging smiles as well as laughs made my heart melt. This was so special to them and they were radiating with happiness. I wish I could capture this moment, this feeling but no camera’s photo would ever do it justice.

The numerous volunteers aiding in the prom made every aspect run smoothly. They administered medications to the patients when needed and got them back to the dance floor as quickly as possible. Their tasks were not easy and their efforts were greatly appreciated by all. You could see the connection they had with the patients wheatear they worked with them prior or if prom was their first time meeting. All the volunteers had hearts of gold for dedicating their time to helping make prom possiable for almost 100 patients.

When the night came to an end the room became quitter and everyone returned to their seats to gather their belongings but this over whelming feeling of happiness still filled the room. The smiles were still upon their face and the laugher was still present. Although the night was over the impression it left upon the children was much too strong to go away and that was a beautiful thing. They need nights like this to lift their spirits, to recharge their faith and remind them that they too deserve a life of excitement. I truly think that the annual prom makes a difference in the patients’ lives and I hope that its tradition carries on forever.