Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital Holds Prom Night for Teens In Cancer Care

School may be out for summer, but that didn’t stop teens receiving cancer treatment at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital from enjoying one of the biggest traditions of high school – prom night.

Because some young cancer patients aren’t always well enough to go to their high school prom, caregivers at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital brought a special prom night to them. This year’s theme was The Wizard of OZ.

Patients aged 15 and up were able to dress up in formal attire and dance the night away on Saturday night in the Eccles Outpatient Services Building at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, thanks to dedicated caregivers at the hospital who didn’t want health challenges to disrupt a treasured high-school tradition for the kids.

Intermountain Health cancer center caregivers converted conference rooms into a sparkling dance hall, complete with food, a DJ, prom photos, and many other experiences thanks to community generosity.

They also arranged for patients to receive special salon services in their hospital rooms to help them look and feel their best for their special night.

Patients were joined by Intermountain Primary Children’s doctors, nurses, child life specialists, and other teams of caregivers, who did their best to keep up with the energetic crowd.

“Cancer robs children of the many experiences that make up a childhood because they’re going through treatment,” said Caroline Dolan, a social worker at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “Our team at Primary Children’s knows how important it is in the healing process for kids to have normal experiences, and that’s why they work so hard to make this prom special.”

Every day, Intermountain Primary Children’s oncology experts treat 33 kids in inpatient areas and 60 more kids needing cancer-related outpatient visits.

The nationally ranked cancer program at Intermountain Primary Children’s includes the latest research and treatment for non-malignant blood disorders like sickle-cell anemia, as well as bone marrow transplants, gene-based therapies, and clinical trials.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Images and video available upon request.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.