Two Teenage Girls With Down Syndrome, Amber House And Taryn Mains, Get The Prom Night Of Their Dreams

The prom is a high school tradition that most teenage girls spend months dreaming of.

But for 18-year-old Amber House of Houston, Texas, it seemed more like an unreachable fantasy.

Amber has Down Syndrome -- and though her parents say she's never had a problem making friends, they were concerned that she would have difficulty finding a date, ABC News reports.

Wanting her child to have a chance to partake in one of the milestones of adolescence, Amber's mom, Peggy, started campaigning for a prom date for her daughter a few months ago.

In the end, Peggy's efforts were all for naught, KHOU 11 News reports.

Amber already had a date -- she just didn't know it.

"I asked her if she would come to prom with me," 16-year-old Matt Gill told ABC News, adding that Amber -- who he had met at choir practices -- had long been his first choice.

"She's awesome, she's a fun person and it's great to hang out with her," Matt said.

When Peggy heard the news, she was amazed.

"I started crying," she told KHOU 11 News. "I’m just so proud of the young man who would step up and take her. And that she’s able to do this and have this experience with all her friends."

But Amber isn't the only special needs teen who had a memorable prom night. Meet Taryn Mains from Mason County, Ky.

Like Amber, Taryn did not think she would have a date to the prom. The high school senior also has Down Syndrome, Lex 18 News reports.

But not only did Taryn get the surprise of her dreams when her very own Prince Charming surprised her at the event, but she was also elected Prom Queen.

Last year, when Taryn had asked Treg Setty -- a 6'9" senior and basketball player -- to escort her to the prom, he had surprised her with a resounding 'yes'.

But with Treg away playing basketball at Southern Illinois University this year, Taryn expected to be attending the prom without a date.

To her amazement, Treg was waiting for her when she arrived.

"If there's anything I want people to get out of this is to be there for people who need you to be there," Treg told Lex 18 News.

Taryn was also given a second surprise that night -- she was elected prom queen.

"She inspires me to be a better person. That's why I wanted to do it for her," said senior Samantha Kieper, one of a group of students that had lobbied hard to get Taryn recognized.

Watch the Lex 18 video about Taryn's perfect prom below.

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Comments

[capshockeygrl28]

05:51 PM on 04/24/2012

so nice!! i needed this good news! :)

[Dallas Grozny]

01:24 AM on 04/24/2012

am i the only person who read this story and immediately thought of the movie Carrie? anyway, at least mark won't have to worry about plying liberal quantities of alcohol to loosen up amber. those "downers" are pretty loose and easy to begin with, i hear.

[aritul]

12:30 AM on 04/24/2012

What nice boys!

Nice job featuring this, HuffPo.

[TaShanna Turnipseed]

04:20 PM on 04/23/2012

made my eyes water :)

[sacmom3]

03:57 PM on 04/23/2012

That was so sweet.

[marthakitty]

03:29 PM on 04/23/2012

I have one thing to say.All the young people involved are real heros!!!!!

[furtura1]

03:17 PM on 04/23/2012

two good guys

[acoleman3107]

03:13 PM on 04/23/2012

This is a beautiful story. Good to see there are still compassionate people in this world.

[Debbee Taylor]

02:35 PM on 04/23/2012

My son is 15 yrs old with cerebral palsy, autism, MR, Encephalopathy,epilepsy, and LGS ( Lennon-Gaustaunt syndrome, He looks just like any other child ( teenager) he can't talk but can walk, We where at an amusement park last weekend and as he was setting in his wheelchair taking a break ,Two girls around his age where flirting , giggling, and smiling at him, I hear one of the girls tell the other how cute my son was. I noticed these two girls where following us around the park all day, It was a heart warming feeling for me (his mom) .This and other stories like ours is showing that no matter what your disabilities are there are some good kids left. They are treating the special needs kids just like they would treat any other kid, I find with my son that the adults are more judging then the kids are---- If parents judge then the parents are showing there kid (s) to judge!!!! Two beautiful tearful stories loved both of them...

[sacmom3]

04:02 PM on 04/23/2012

That was a great story about your son. Thanks for sharing.

[aritul]

12:31 AM on 04/24/2012

I second Sacmom3. That was a lovely story. What nice girls they were!

[Angie Thompson]

10:07 AM on 04/23/2012

Both stories were so beautiful!!! Tearing up just watching these segments!!! These are moments in a girl's life that she will never forget!!!

[stargazorr]

01:51 AM on 04/23/2012

This is awesome! There are some good people still out there. She looked beautiful and I am soo glad she enjoyed that special night!

[Trey X]

01:15 AM on 04/23/2012

I'm so happy HP has a Good News section....It gets old reading about how faulty alot of people are where the good things go unnoticed!! Bravo, HP....

[lirew]

12:55 AM on 04/23/2012

I think it's great that these young people have gotten the opportunity to experience their prom, but it still bothers me that the people around them speak as if they are doing these kids favors by "stepping up" and taking them to the prom. Isn't it possible that they are attractive, fun, and amazing young people who can get a prom date regardless of their disability? It reminds me of how some people speak to or of the elderly, as if they are small children. It seems condescending in a way. They will never get to be regular kids and independent adults if they continue to be treated like that.

[youcantfoolmothernature]

11:26 AM on 04/23/2012

It appeared to me that it was the ADULTS (as usual) who were acting that way. The kids realized it was a natural thing to want to be with friends who you care about!

[erdkz2389]

06:53 PM on 04/23/2012

That's exactly what I was thinking!

[misscheyenne]

11:52 PM on 04/22/2012

Very touching wish more people were like this

[45Caliber]

11:09 PM on 04/22/2012

This just goes to prove that there are still loving,caring and compassionate young people!