Watch the story of Shannon Purcifer:
Video Credit: Facebook/BBC South
A 16-year-old student with serious medical conditions was in her last year of secondary school in Gosport, Hampshire, UK.
Shannon Purcifer has a bowel disorder, ulcerative colitis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Her schoolmates knew about her condition and many of them bullied her for her medical conditions.
It was the time for prom and just like other teens, Shannon was too excited for the prom. She even bought her prom dress months in advance.
But due to the bullying, Shannon decided not to go. She put the dress on but didn’t have the courage to go.
This left her mother, Claire Carstens heartbroken. She shared an emotional post on Facebook and explained why she decided not to go.
She wrote: ‘If Shannon had gone to prom tonight she would of worn this beautiful dress.
Thanks to nasty vile bullies shannon decided she didn’t want to go and mix with scum that made her so miserable. For a girl that has had so much to deal with in life….coeliac disease, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis, she is one strong young lady with an even stronger mind!! Love you girl’
The post went viral and a GoFundMe page was set up to throw an alternative party. The GoFundMe page raised £500.
“This isn’t about bad mouthing the school but the school certainly needs to sort out bullying as soon as they are aware of it.
This is about showing all those nasty bullies that they won’t win and also showing anyone that is being bullied, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Carstens wrote.
The party was hosted by Shannon’s family and friends at St. Vincent College.
Shannon was left stunned when her mother told she was having her own prom. 120 bikers from the Gosport Scooter Club arrived to escort Shannon.
The head teacher at Shannon’s school said before the alternative prom: “The alternative prom is a lovely idea. It’s a great example of the positive power of social media, and we hope it is a great success.”
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