Prom night is something most teens spend years looking forward to. But when youโre constantly teased, the idea of giving your bullies another chance to taunt you is enough to crush your prom night dreams forever.
At 16, Shannon Purcifer has already been through a lot in life. The Gosport, England native suffers from multiple diseases and her health means that every day is a struggle.
In 2017, Shannon spent a couple weeks in the hospital, and ever since, her classmates have bullied her about her health.
The teasing got so bad, that Shannon decided not to go to her senior prom. She had already bought her dress and she was heartbroken.
Her mom didnโt want her to suffer in silence though, so she posted pictures of Shannon online wearing the dress she would have worn to her prom.
The pictures soon caught the attention of friends and strangers, and they had some wonderful, unexpected consequences.
Some years ago, 16-year-old Shannon Purcifer was forced to skip the prom she had looked forward to going to for so long. Her classmates had been bullying her about her health for the past 18 months โ and they werenโt likely to stop just for prom night.
Even though Shannon is a strong young woman who has overcome a lot in life to get to where she is, going to prom was just too much. Instead, her mom, Claire Carstens, posted pictures online of Shannon wearing her would-be prom dress.
โIf Shannon had gone to prom tonight she would of worn this beautiful dress. Thanks to nasty vile bullies shannon decided she didnโt want to go and mix with scum that made her so miserable,โ Claire wrote onย Facebook.
โFor a girl that has had so much to deal with in lifeโฆ.coeliac disease, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis, she is one strong young lady with an even stronger mind!!โ
The photos touched the hearts of friends and strangers alike. Soon, hundreds of people had rallied behind Shannon. They even organized a special prom just for her. All of Shannonโs real friends were invited โ but none of her bullies.
The organizing team covered the cost of doing Shannonโs hair and make up, they donated food for the prom, and decorated her high school gym so Shannonโs prom would be even better than the real thing.
But what Shannon will probably never forget is her ride to the prom. She didnโt have a limo or an antique car, but a convoy of 120 bikers leading her to the special event.
Shannon had thought her dream of going to the prom was over, but now she was going โ and on a three-wheeled motorcycle!
Shannonโs prom turned out to be a total success. And it restored her hope in humanity after her bullies had taken it away.
โIt was so overwhelming the whole day. I didnโt think that people could be that nice because of how horrible people had been,โ Shannon toldย Inside Edition.
If you were also moved by the support these bikers and the rest of Shannonโs community gave her, please share! Everyone deserves to go to their prom without fear of being bullied.
