Strangers help throw girl prom after bullies forced her to stay home from school
![Shannon Purcifer didn’t attend her school prom after suffering at the hands of bullies for years [Photo: Facebook/ClaireCarstens]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/aTYKNDZINoObNIqQsTbA8w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD03NzY-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/722cdd66480ab96c622e08ddbc7225fa)
A 16-year-old girl was given her own prom after missing her school’s one.
Shannon Purcifer was taunted by bullies for several years for suffering from ulcerative colitis: a form of bowel disease.
The student decided not to attend her school prom last month after being unable to face her bullies.
Shannon’s story came to the forefront in June after her mother, Claire Carstens, posted a photo of her daughter wearing her £470 prom dress on Facebook.
She asked for people’s help to give Shannon the prom she deserved. Luckily, hundreds came forward to offer their support.
On Saturday, 120 bikers escorted Shannon to a prom that had been created especially for her. Over 100 friends and family turned up for the celebration with a buffet and disco providing the entertainment.
Shannon was finally able to wear her prom dress, accessorising with a corsage that carried a picture of her late father who died in 2007, serving in the Royal Navy in Germany.
![Shannon’s mother asked for help to create another prom for her daughter [Photo: Facebook/ClaireCarstens]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kpGXrlN2xXayrm9WDkeUMg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyODA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/39a3d47bdcdd91716e1da835024d9487)
“It was better than I could ever have imagined,” Shannon said. “It was far better than if I had gone to my own school prom.”
“There was lots of dancing and I generally just had an amazing time. There were people there I’d never even met who had gone out of their way to help me. It was really emotional.”
Shannon’s mother said there was “no better way to stick two fingers up at bullies than to go out and enjoy yourself.”
![Over 100 friends and family turned up for Shannon’s big day [Photo: Facebook/ClaireCarstens]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/x02hLyWZdZ8dbn6nydCtqQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwNg--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/bf6b57f5cbb55537fa87318bb0b66576)
“The night [Shannon] was supposed to go to her prom, she just did nothing. She tried the dress on but it was heartbreaking for her to choose not to go,” she added.
“She had been looking forward to it for months and we bought the dress as far back as February but the bullying got so bad she knew she wouldn’t enjoy it if she went.”
Now, Shannon can have one fond memory of her school days and look forward to starting college in September with no sign of bullies.
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