After deciding against going to prom to avoid bullies, one teen’s family enlisted some community members to make sure she had a special night.
How it All Started
Shannon Purcifer was an average high schooler, who wanted to live out her prom fantasies with her friends. Shannon had been a victim of bullying for many years, which had gotten more extreme later on in her high school years.
Planning For Prom
Shannon had spent $600 on her prom dress, she split the cost with her mother around three months before the date. Sadly, the bullying escalated so far that Shannon made a decision to stay home from prom for her own safety. She did not want to be trapped in a room with people who had been making her life absolutely miserable…
Shannons Struggle
Shannon was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and arthritis when she turned 14. These illnesses were the source of Shannon’s bullying, people will really pick on anyone for any reason they can find.
Mom’s Intervention
On prom night, Shannon’s mother found out that she was planning to not attend prom, Mom took to Facebook to spread the news about her daughter’s situation. She posted photos of Shannon in her gown and wrote a document about Shannon’s experience with bullying. It was the feedback from her community that made Shannon’s mother determined to do something drastic…
Personal Prom
Shannon’s mother Claire took action and started planning a prom for just Shannon and her friends. Claire started a Go Fund Me page to raise money to put on the event. Their measly goal of £150 was surpassed in one day, at the end of the donation period, Claire had raised £500!
Public Attention
Shannon’s story started to bounce around the internet, and she caught the attention of a few important figures in the UK. Prince William invited her out to meet him, meeting the prince was an incredible experience for the UK native. However, this was just the start of all the media attention…
SuperBike Star Shane Byrne
Shannon caught the attention of British SuperBike medalist, Shane “Shaky” Byrne. She approached him at a book signing of his, he posed for this photo with her and talked to her about her predicament. It’s so lovely to see celebrities being outspoken against bullying!
Shannon’s Younger Siblings
Shannon’s younger brother and sister witnessed Shannon’s descent into illness, as well as her vicious experience with bullying. Shannon’s family was her biggest supporter, offering a positive environment to return to every day after school. That was until things started getting worse with Shannon’s illnesses.
Spending More Time in the Hospital
Shannons health began to deteriorate around when she turned 16. Both her ulcerative colitis and arthritis had gotten so bad that she needed to spend two weeks at the hospital before her prom. This photo is from when she was first admitted at age 14.
Penciling in
Shannon’s family were so disappointed by her decision to stay home from prom. Especially because Shannon had gotten out of the hospital right in time to attend. Shannon’s mother and grandmother were her major sources of support. They always offered open arms when Shannon needed them. Both her mother and grandmother got inspired and started solidifying their plans to make it all up to Shannon…
A Charitable Donation
Shannon even donated her hair before prom, chopping off the majority of her hair to make wigs for people who have cancer. Shannon could understand being on the other side of medical stress,
1-2-3 Gone
Shannon’s mom documented the entire procedure through Facebook posts. Shannon got a lot of positive likes and comments. Shannon’s mother had hoped that this would teach Shannon a lesson about self-appreciation and assumed that this would help her get over her bullying problem…
Short Cropped
Unfortunately for Shannon, this merely gave her bullies even more ammunition. Even after her charitable donation, her bullies went back after her tenfold. Her family and close friends were always there for her to fall back on.
Shannon’s Boyfriend
Shannon was dating a boy named Lee, who was a kind and thoughtful person. Lee had committed to helping Shannon’s family set up her personal prom, and he was doing his best to keep the whole ordeal as perfect as possible. Lee wasn’t the only one of Shannon’s friends that were helping out though…
Journalistic Intervention
The Daily Mail wrote an article about Shannon and her situation. Following that, many more publications were reaching out to Shannon to get her side of the story. So much so that Shannon had to censor the names of her bullies because there were so many eyes on her in the media.
Shannon’s Brothers
Shannon’s whole family took to social media to hype her up. Shannon’s brothers and sisters could no longer stand seeing her so down in the dumps. They sourced all of Shannon’s friends and acquaintances who were in attendance. The family was the largest driving factor in Shannon’s life, they did so much for her through this trying time…
The Whole Family Gets Involved
Shannon’s family got together and put on community-wide seminars on the dangers of bullying. Her step-father, who was off on business, came back home just to be part of her imminent personal prom.
Setting an Example
Shannon’s family put all these events together partly in hopes that the younger siblings in the family would learn a valuable lesson on how to treat people properly. The parents feared the effects of social media and the anonymity behind everybody’s profiles would lead to more bullying in their family. After the conclusion of the events to come, I don’t think those parents have anything to worry about…
Shannon’s father was tragically killed in action while serving in the Navy. Her step-father has taken her under his wing as if she was his own. If it weren’t for him, none of this would have happened.
Lessons About Community
Shannon was always a great student with a promising future, she never let her bullies hold her down. It is so unfortunate that so many young people take their own lives over bullying, and not having a social safety net as Shannon had. This event should be an example of how to show people you love them…
Prom Time
On July 22nd, 2017, Shannon’s ideal prom finally went down. She even had an escort from a local motorcyclists club to show how bad-ass she was for standing up for herself.
A Duet With Momma
Shannon’s mom surprised her mid-prom. She planned to sing a duet of one of her favorite songs. All of this accompanied by loved ones, good food, and a lovely atmosphere, made for a night to remember.
Having a Blast
Shannon and her friends danced the night away. Shannon’s step-father uploaded this photo to Facebook on the night of Shannon’s prom.
Special Delivery
Shannon was carried into her prom event by some nice bikers. In the back of this photo you can see her friends and family dressed to the nine, already having a wonderful time!
The Local Paper
After Shannon’s story took to the internet, the local paper gave her a two-page writeup. All because of her friends, family, and supportive community.
A Day to Remember
Shannon’s special prom day came and went, but the memory will last forever within her friends and family. I couldn’t think of a better way to stand up to bullies.
Lots of Public Attention
Shannon’s story got so popular, she became an overnight sensation in other surrounding towns. Heres another writeup she got by a local paper two towns over from her!
A Family Affair
Here’s a picture of Shannon with her brother and sister on prom day. How proud they must have been!
All the Buddies
Special thanks to all of Shannon’s close friends for making this night possible. To think, this would never have happened if it weren’t for all of these lovely people.
Wow, What an Experience
This just goes to show that sometimes when you bully people, you reveal that you’re actually the insecure one. I’m sure Shannon’s bullies got their just-desserts from this occasion.