The homecoming dance is often a magical event for many high school students. But this teen's night was made even more memorable thanks to her incredibly thoughtful date.
Allie Allen, a 16-year-old girl from Collierville, Tennessee, has brain cancer, and last month she shaved her head after noticing chunks of hair beginning to fall out, according a her blog post. Brayden Carpenter, a friend of Allen's who took her as his date to his homecoming dance, decided to support her on their big night: Carpenter, who attends, Collierville High School, showed up with his own head shaved in support of Allen, according to a Facebook post.
"Now that is class!!!" Allen's mother, Debbi, who is fighting breast cancer herself, wrote in a Facebook post of Carpenter's kind act.
Allen, who attends Houston High School, was first diagnosed with cancer back in 2013, according to a GoFundMe page. Though she received clean scans after surgery and a few months of treatment, she received news that the disease was back earlier this year, WMCActionNews5 reported. After her hair started falling out following her 10th round of radiation, Allen initially had a difficult time accepting her shaved head.
"It's easy for some people to say 'it’s just hair” but it's hard when you’re a teenage girl," she explained in her blog. "I’ve always been attached to my hair."
And though Allen said in her post that she's come to terms with the new hairstyle, Carpenter, who Allen has known since she was in sixth grade, decided he would shave his hair as soon as he found out she was losing her's, according to a Facebook comment from Carpenter's mother.
Gestures of support like Carpenter's, Debbi told WMCActionNews5, inspire both mother and daughter to continue fighting throughout their journeys. Debbi told the source there's no cure for Allen, but she and her daughter will remain positive for the future.
To learn more about Debbi and Allie Allen or to donate to help with treatment and living expenses, visit their GoFundMe page here.
Also on HuffPost:
