Patients find connection, community at first Seattle Children's prom

For once, they were looking forward to being at the hospital.

Many of the young patients had grown used to years of being in and out of Seattle Children's, facing rare diseases, developmental disorders, cancer diagnoses and other medical conditions. But on this warm May night, they arrived in high spirits. They were celebrating prom.

Annika Dickson, 19, missed her last high school dance two years ago because she was sick that day, so ill with a flare-up of her uncommon pain disorder that she had to go to the emergency room. When she heard Children's planned to host its first patient prom this year, she was thrilled.

"I've had a lot of traumatic experiences here," Annika said. Not because of anything Children's has done, she clarified as she got ready with others in the hospital's makeshift dressing room. "There's just a lot of difficult experiences I've had to go through."

"I thought this was a chance to be able to make good memories at Children's," the Enumclaw teen continued, sitting before a stylist who curled and braided her hair. "And maybe make some friends who can relate to me."

Hospital staffers and volunteers pulled the glittery evening together this month for about 30 teenage patients - and their guests - who otherwise might not have been able to experience the quintessential high school tradition. Their reasons vary: Some were in the hospital at the time, while others have illnesses that weaken their immune system and prevent them from being in such a crowded environment. Several are home-schooled or attend online school, and didn't have the option.

That doesn't mean they should miss out, said Chloe Reichert, a certified child life specialist at the hospital and one of the driving forces behind the dance.

"It felt important to us to provide an opportunity for these teenagers who are in the hospital to have a little sense of normalcy," Reichert said.

Monica Medina Lamas, 14, arrived with her older sister, Mary Anita. Both are patients at Children's, with the same kidney disease that required a transplant. Monica received hers when she was 4 and has been doing better - this year she's celebrating her 10-year anniversary with her transplanted kidney - but still gets sick easily, she said.

Both sisters have struggled with heart, lung and hearing problems most of their lives, said their mother, Ana Erica Lamas, who brought the girls to prom with her husband, Martin Medina Oronia.

"Because I go to an online school, I can't have prom," Monica said. "So when I found out Children's was having one, I got excited."

Adding to her enthusiasm was the discovery of her dress, a shiny scarlet gown donated to the hospital for the dance, along with more than 100 other dresses and suits from out-of-state vendors and local organizations, like Issaquah-based Ruby Room.

"My favorite color is red, so when I saw it, I was like, ‘That's my dress,' " Monica beamed. She and her sister, who live in Marysville, stayed glued to the dance floor last Saturday, twirling around with each other to 2010s pop songs.

The event was made possible largely thanks to the support of donors and volunteers, Reichert said, noting a limited budget. With donations of corsages and boutonnieres, forest-themed decorations, a photo booth, a light-up dance floor, a DJ set, and a mini horse (Bass, a therapy horse, dressed in his finest bejeweled outfit for the occasion), along with food and dessert, Reichert was heartened.

"It's been really encouraging to see a whole community rally around this event for these kids," she said.

Reichert's role on the hospital's child life team mostly focuses on helping young patients understand and cope with what they're going through medically. For littler kids, the work often involves play, she said. For teens, it can mean thinking up fun gatherings like a school dance, even if it looks a little different, Reichert said.

Brooke Nowak, a senior at Seattle Preparatory School, attended the dance with her boyfriend, Evan Prokop. She was diagnosed with leukemia in February, and skipped her own prom because she's in the middle of treatment and can't be around big crowds.

"At first I wasn't too sad to miss it," said Brooke, who lives in Bellevue. "But once it's taken from you, you miss it more."

The last few months haven't been easy, the 18-year-old said, but she was cheered at the thought of being around other kids her age who were going through something similar.

"It makes a difference even if you don't think it does," Brooke said.

Debbie Dickson, Annika's mother, knew her daughter had been looking forward to the dance, and expressed gratitude that Children's brought it to life.

In the last five years, her 19-year-old has been diagnosed with three different medical conditions - Crohn's disease, paroxysmal extreme pain disorder and functional neurological disorder - that keep her at home much of the time. Her surges of pain and increased fatigue have put favorite activities like riding horses on hold and postponed her plans of going to college in Japan.

"She's ill, but people don't always see it," Dickson said. "They don't understand doing normal acts is such a big deal for her."

Annika misses riding horses and other hobbies, like going to the mall with friends. She's found joy in others: scrapbooking, video games and making K-pop photo cards. And she's a wiz at learning languages, mastering basic fluency in Japanese and Hungarian, and is hoping to tackle Mandarin and Korean next.

As the dance began to wrap up, Annika swapped Instagram handles and phone numbers with some new friends as they picked up goody bags of lotions and stickers.

How'd the night go? She grinned. "Goal accomplished."

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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 6:44 AM.