A whole community in Westfield, Indiana, was united in support of one young girl, which is winning hearts of people all over the world.
Presley Long is 15-years-old and has a form of cancer called GNET, which is a rare soft tissue sarcoma. Doctors treating her at Riley Hospital have given up on her and say they cannot do anymore.
Posted by Ashley Long-Miller on Thursday, February 14, 2019
Instead of spending her teens having fun with her friends at school, she has practically lived inside hospital’s walls, it is fitting that Presley should end her first year of high school on a happy note.
It is Westfield High School’s prom night, a moment every girl looks forward to right from the first day of school.
But the problem is her huge medical bills which makes her dream a distant reality.
Westfield bus driver and longtime friend of the family, Robin Luehrmann, decided to reach out her local community on social media. “I’m like, this beautiful little girl. You know, she just wants to go to prom,” Luehrmann said, but she never imagined the response she would receive.
Posted by Robin Harlan Luehrmann on Monday, April 22, 2019
The April 12 Facebook post said, “There is a 15 yr old freshman that wants the prom of all proms… she has been under intense chemo for a very rare and aggressive sarcoma cancer.”
Luehrmann asked for suggestions on how to make the night “magical” for Presley. She will even have a pair of Cinderella shoes, thanks to some fairy godmother bus drivers. “We’ve got somebody already buying the corsage,” Luehrmann shared. “Somebody bought the prom ticket, we’ve got a photographer doing a fundraiser, where the couples can go over to Field Brewing for a $10 donation.”
A GoFundMe page set up for Presley’s prom night has managed to raise nearly $1,500 in under 2 weeks. “We’re just blessed to have so many people reach out to us and offer anything,” Austin Miller, Presley’s step-father said.
Presley is all geared up fro her prom night, “Giving you something to look forward to in a hard time like this,” she said through tears, “it takes your mind off all the pain and the suffering.”
What a beautiful story of hope and courage shown by a teen and an uplifting community.