Molly Harrison's amazing friends pulled out all the stops after cancer treatment meant she missed her first prom
THIS is the heart-warming moment a teenager found out she was getting her own, personalised prom – after missing her official school one because she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
The special night, held in March, was organised for schoolgirl Molly Harrison, 17, from Cannock, Staffordshire, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in July 2017 after having constant itching, breathlessness, night sweats, fatigue and a cough that would not go away.
In 2017 Molly was unable to attend her school prom because she was undergoing chemotherapy. But her friends rallied round and secretly organised another prom for her.
Describing the moment she found out she was getting a second prom, Molly said: “I was in total shock I had absolutely no idea, I was just speechless.
“I remember looking at them thinking, ‘Is this a joke? Are you kidding?’
“We all started to cry. It was like everyone knew but me. I couldn’t believe no-one let it slip."
She continued: “We all walked into the venue together and everyone started to clap. It was so surreal, I didn’t realise how many people knew or cared. Seeing everyone made me realise how amazing people are when they come together. Everyone put aside any differences and danced all night together raising money for a great cause.”
Molly, now in remission, told how she initially put her cancer symptoms down to “exam stress”.
“I was studying for my GSCEs,” she explained. “After my last exam, my mum took me to the doctor. We assumed I might have asthma, I didn’t really think about anything else. It never even crossed my mind it would ever be cancer.”
Following tests, a 17cm mass was found across Molly’s chest that caused one of her lungs to collapse. After further tests and a biopsy at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, she received the news she had cancer.
“It was very surreal, the nurse and my parents came in and looked like they had been crying,” she explained. “I can’t remember crying when they told me, I was just in shock. It was like an out of body experience, like watching a film about somebody else.”
Molly’s first of five chemotherapy rounds, later followed by three weeks of radiotherapy, started the day after her diagnosis. This meant she later spent her 17th birthday in hospital and had to go back to hospital after picking up her GCSE results where she received five A*s, two As, three Bs and missed out on her prom night.
“All the way through year 11 there is such a big build up to the prom, everyone gets excited about it and it’s a great chance to say bye to your friends,” Molly explained. “I was gutted to miss the prom, I was going to go with my friends and I just felt like I was missing out on it and all the plans we made for the summer.
According to the NHS, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, which is a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body.
The lymphatic system is part of your immune system. Clear fluid called lymph flows through the lymphatic vessels and contains infection-fighting white blood cells known as lymphocytes.
In non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the affected lymphocytes start to multiply in an abnormal way and begin to collect in certain parts of the lymphatic system, such as the lymph nodes (glands). The affected lymphocytes lose their infection-fighting properties, making you more vulnerable to infection.
The most common symptom of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin.
“You work so hard all year for your GSCEs and prom is a good way to celebrate.
“It was hard to see all the Instagram posts and Snapchat stories in my hospital bed. It upset me to see it all.”
But, unknown to Molly, her best friends from high school, Harriet Murray, Caitlin Cooper, Bekky Dudley and Joanna Antoszkiewicz , all 17, had begun organising a surprise prom for Molly to raise vital funds and awareness for CLIC Sargent, a charity that helped her family through it all.
Harriet said: “My friends and I felt that it was important for Molly to have her own prom to celebrate how far Molly has come.
“Raising money for CLIC Sargent was a bonus.
“The hardest part was keeping it a secret from Molly, as literally everyone knew except for her.
“Through the event we gathered together family, friends and even past teachers who knew Molly and were willing to show their support. Finally, we can say that we gave Molly the prom night she deserved.”
The night raised £2,472.32 for , the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families.
Molly said: “CLIC Sargent is brilliant. I had amazing support from the two social workers Orlando and Sam when I was on the young person’s unit.
"They really helped with the long periods of time me and my family spent on the hospital ward and always knew how to make me and my sister laugh. They really understand how to help families deal with the pressures treatment can put on relationships and how to adapt to a new life in and out of hospital.”
Collette Brown, fundraising engagement manager for Staffordshire at CLIC Sargent, said: “When cancer strikes young lives we fight tirelessly to limit the damage it causes beyond their health. We rely entirely on donations to fund our vital work and so we can’t thank Molly and all her supporters for their fantastic efforts.
“This is such an inspiring example of an incredibly thoughtful and selfless group of friends, who ultimately wanted to give their best friend the prom she deserved. It was a pleasure to support them and they have even pledged to continue to fundraise for CLIC Sargent, so that ultimately no other young person diagnosed with cancer has to face that alone.”
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