The Prom Dress(s) – By Samatha Allison
A super memorable time in my high school career was Prom. Getting to wear a beautiful dress, getting makeup and hair done, wearing those beautiful shoes in the back of the closet. This is something every girl looks forward to.. One girl in particular who was looking forward to her Grade 12 Prom was Carley.
Carley found out she would be receiving surgery to remove the tumour and trach before her Prom. All she was thinking about was this is the go-ahead to buy a gown without a high neck to cover the trach. She was ecstatic!
Carley ended up getting a beautiful gown from Holt Renfrow. It was a one shoulder, floor-length, tight grey gown with a slit down the slide. I mean jaw dropping when she would put it on! I’ve never seen her more excited and happy than when she came home that day after buying that dress.
Then she got some bittersweet news saying the pathology of the tumour had come back different than when they first diagnosed it but that would mean that they were going to try chemo and she would still have her trach for prom, Carley was devastated but didn’t let it bring her down! She went out and got a different grey dress with a high neck and a slit down the side. She was happy but you could see how much she wanted to wear her original dress
She ended up wearing the beautiful grey high neck dress and had a blast at her Prom, but there was still a Prom dress laying in her closet that she would never be able to wear to any Prom. Carely was able to wear this dress to other events but never to her Prom.
I am 3 years younger than Carley so that means I went to my Prom 3 years later. WHen i was searching for a Prom dress (having many issues with it might I add) my mom and oldest sister (Riley) said to me as her original Prom dress was so beautiful it would be a nice thing for me to get to wear her dress. As soon as the words left their mouths I rushed up the stairs to her closest got the dress out, put it on and immediately I knew.. This was meant to be a prom dress.
Fast forward to Prom, I will never forget looking in the mirror and thinking how proud I was to be wearing such a beautiful gown with such meaning to me. As soon as I walked down the stairs I saw my dad camera in hand and Riley with tears in her eyes.
To learn more about Carley’s Story through her eyes and those who lived it with her, check out the novel”Always Smile: Carley Allison’s Secrets to Laughing Loving and Living” available for purchase HERE.
Carley’s Angels is working to unite traditional and Holistic Cancer Care in hospitals while spreading Carley’s message of “always smile”. To support us in our mission Shop Here or Donate Here.