For many adolescents, prom marks the very last step of initiation before graduation into adulthood. For one young man, the journey is more significant than his peers could possibly imagine.
Noah Sweeny of Lakewood, OH has struggled with terminal and untreatable blood disorder Gaucher's disease for the better part of his life. A senior at Lakewood High School, he’s been anticipating his prom for some time now; so when Norah Leneghan, a teacher at Lakewood, solicited local businesses to donate good and services for his night out, the entire community rallied behind him.
“Everything’s about prom,” his mother Theresa Sweeny told WKYC News. “This whole week that’s all he’s talked about.”
And some prom it turned out to be. Local restaurant Barrio donated Noah’s pre-occasion dinner, and his chauffeured limo was donated by WKYC, the local news broadcast station that followed Noah and crew around for the better part of the evening. Noah was treated like something of a king for the evening – a much-needed respite from his day-to-day pain management.
“I have three children and all three of them have a different rare disease,” Theresa Sweeny tells WKYC. “Out of my three kids, Noah is definitely the sickest. You really just have to learn that every day is a gift, and you put the most into it that you can.”
Certainly Noah has lived this one to its full potential. Click below to SHARE his story.
