'You're just you': SickKids prom lets teens forget treatment, have some fun

Teens who have been spending part of their high school years in and out of hospital ditched their doctors for the dance floor Friday night at the seventh annual SickKids prom.

Teens who are suffering from chronic or life-threatening illnesses and are being treated in hospital or as out-patients forgot about their health for a few hours and had some fun with their friends.

Girls got to get their hair, makeup and nails done ahead of a night of dancing that many have missed at their own schools because they were in hospital or too unwell to attend. Others said they were looking forward to getting better so they can attend their own schools' prom next year.

Kayla Johnston was attending her fourth SickKids prom which is held at the hospital. This year, she served as a date for her friend Amanda Mercer, who was attending her first prom.

The two met at the hospital four years ago.

"This is a great night to forget about everything and to see the other patients here that you've become so close with. When you're here for so long, you're family," Johnston, 20, told CBC News.

"So to be able to see everybody and to have fun without judgment or worrying about being that sick girl or that girl with the tube in your stomach. You're Kayla, or Amanda. You're just you."

Johnston, 20, first arrived at Sick Kids as a 16-year-old, when she was diagnosed with stomach and immune disorders. She spent months at a time in hospital and, while she did make it to her own school's prom, she missed many other events.

"But the fact that they do this here is absolutely amazing," Johnston said. "It makes you feel as if you're not really missing out on anything."

Mercer, 16, was diagnosed with a heart condition as a baby and at 12 developed a fungal infection. She is home-schooled, so misses out on typical high-school experiences.

"They understand me for who I am," she said of her friends from SickKids. "It's hard with other friends because they don't understand what I go through."

Both Johnston's and Mercer's mothers love to see their daughters having fun.

"She doesn't always have the energy to make herself up," said Mercer's mother, Melissa Brady. "That's the last thing on her mind. So for her to sit and enjoy [having her makeup done] and feel beautiful, it's just so great to watch."

For Leighann Johnston, the prom is also a chance for parents to get together and enjoy a reprieve from hospital stays and emergency room visits.

"A smile on any kid looks beautiful, especially when they've been through a mountain of different things," Johnston said.

The hospital opens the prom to patients aged 16 and up, and each gets to bring a date. Sabina Spataro, a child-life specialist at SickKids, said patients look forward to the event "all year round."

"They get to be normal teenagers. They get to interact with other teenagers. They get to get out of their hospital rooms," Spataro said.

"They get to have a bit of normalcy."

The DJ for the night, DJ Skinnzy, aka Alex Salmon, was himself a patient at SickKids, having been diagnosed with spina bifida as a baby. Now 19, he "aged out" of the hospital, but is happy to give back to the facility that treated him.

"It feels great," he said. "I'm getting back into the old groove."

For Jessica Pluard, her plan was to enjoy the SickKids prom, but also to get through her leukemia treatments to attend her own schools' prom next year.

"That's my plan," the 16-year-old said.

At the SickKids prom, though, "they want to make it more special for everyone," she said.

"Because a lot of people are going through a lot of hard times."