Once a year, Oaklands Kaiser Medical Center transforms into a scene out of a high school movie. For the teen patients being treated for chronic illness, hospital staff put on an event called the Pediatric Prom.
At Oaklands Kaiser Medical Center, theres a large conference room in the basement with a retractable wall in the middle. Most days, it doesnt look like muchlinoleum floors and high, flat ceilings. But one night a year, a giant disco ball hangs in the middle of the room, and those linoleum floors echo the laughter and chatter of about a hundred teens there for the Pediatric Prom.
The National Institutes of Health estimates that as many as one in five kids and teens in the U.S. suffer from chronic illness. For many, this means they miss out on the biggest milestones of adolescence. Kaiser Permanente puts on this annual event to help treat the social effects of these teens illnesses.
The night of the event, the basement feels like a teenage dreamits basically a one-stop shop for everything a prom-goer could want. There are volunteer hairdressers and makeup artists, and racks of donated dresses.
First-time attendee Jade Lily got her dress from the hospital. Its a two-piece, bright pink dress with a sequined top. I don't usually wear pink, but someone saw it and said that they thought it would look good on me, Jade says. So I tried it on and I like immediately fell in love. And I've gotten so many compliments.
Jade came to the prom this year with her friend Megan Elizabeth, who is wearing her hair in a bun with strands framing her face. Her navy-blue dress hits at her ankle, and her jewel-encrusted shoes match her diamond-detailed belt. The shoes are hers, but she got the dress from the donation racks. Before the dance, Megan, Jade, and all the other teens crowd into the basement to get ready. In one room, Michelle Austen watches her 17-year-old daughter Faith get her eyeshadow done.
Michelle is sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, and she is beaming. Her eyes are shining, and she never takes them off her daughter. She comes with Faith every year.
Its fun for her, Austen says. She loves it, so I want to see her enjoying it. Its a blessing.
"Events like these, I feel like I'm at home, and I'm very comfortable being myself, and I'm very happy," Megan says.
Seventeen-year-old Megan sits down at a quiet table so she can give her feet a break. Its her fourth year attending the event, now in its fifth year. She laughs and says shes basically been here the entire time.
Megan suffers from two chronic illnesses. She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis four years ago, which means she experiences ulcers and inflammation in her digestive tract. Over the course of her treatment, she developed another condition called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She says her diagnoses have heavily affected her teenage years.
I'm very exhausted a lot of time, Megan says. So like going to outings and events, stuff like that, I have to reserve my energy. And I miss out on a lot of school. So I don't really get to socialize that much. The Mayo Clinic lists social isolation as one of the symptoms of Megans illness.
The CDC estimates that 3 million adults in the U.S. have ulcerative colitis. But its much harder to estimate how many kids and teens are suffering from the disease and any other chronic illness. Many young people dont have the words to describe their symptoms, or theyre not taken seriously by health professionals. Megan says that even her friends didnt seem to understand what she was going through, often downplaying her pain or suggesting she try different remedies.
Whenever you try and talk to them about your disease, they kind of shut you down a lot, Megan says. And they kind of like make you feel small.
She was on the verge of making the varsity cross country team when she became sick. She was forced to stop running, and she lost her connection with her teammates. She began feeling like an outcast at her school.
For Megan, the social problems werent the end. One medication she trieda steroidcaused her to gain weight, among other physical side effects. She became unrecognizable to herself, and it destroyed her mental health.
You just don't feel like yourself, you don't look like yourself, Megan says, recalling her time on the medication. And that depresses and makes you very anxious. So it drove me to the point I was very suicidal and I tried to kill myselfAnd they got me off of it after three months, but still like a month or two later, I was still dealing with the side effects of it because it was such a heavy medication on my body.
But Megan didnt have to go through it alone. She connected with Jade and other teens at a camp specifically for people with inflammatory bowel diseases, including Chrons and ulcerative colitis.
We already have that sense of connection, because we all kind of understand that we're all going through some type of problem in our lives that's continuous, Megan says about her friends with IBD. And you just kind of click together because of that.
She says these kinds of bonds are hard to find.
But like events like these, I feel like I'm at home, and I'm very comfortable being myself, and I'm very happy, she says.
Many of the teens at the event have similar stories to Megan. But on the dance floor, they were just laughing and dancing and screaming along to a Katy Perry song. Their troubles take a backseat, and, at least for the night, theyre just teenagers, having fun.
See the rest here:
Kaiser Oakland Gives Teen Patients A Prom Night To Remember - KALW
- GW Pharma Reports Preliminary Topline Results Of Ulcerative Colitis Trial - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis: Facts on Symptoms, Treatment and Diet - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis - National Digestive Diseases ... - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- CCFA: What is Ulcerative Colitis | Inflammatory Bowel Disease - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis: Get Facts on Symptoms and Diet - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- Ulcerative colitis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis Testimonial - Video - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- My Fight With Ulcerative Colitis - Video - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- Diet in Ulcerative Colitis - Best and Worst Foods - Video - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- Why Ulcerative Colitis is (Literally) a Pain in the Butt - Video - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- My Journey= Ulcerative Colitis Proctitis PART 1 - Video - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- Top 15 Ways to Cure Ulcerative Colitis Naturally - Diet & Home Remedies - Video - October 15th, 2014 [October 15th, 2014]
- Updates in Ulcerative Colitis & Crohn's disease - October 17th, 2014 [October 17th, 2014]
- Ulcerative colitis Symptoms - Diseases and Conditions ... - October 17th, 2014 [October 17th, 2014]
- Dr. Morse Explains Ulcerative Colitis and Intestinal Conditions - Video - October 20th, 2014 [October 20th, 2014]
- Depression Stress Anxiety IBS Colitis Arthritis Treatment Allergy Testing Reiki Healing Scotland W - Video - October 20th, 2014 [October 20th, 2014]
- Taylor Healing process - Video - October 20th, 2014 [October 20th, 2014]
- Treating Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Video - October 20th, 2014 [October 20th, 2014]
- Take Steps Walk for Crohn's and Colitis - Video - October 21st, 2014 [October 21st, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis & Me - Video - October 21st, 2014 [October 21st, 2014]
- Ferring Pharmaceuticals: CORTIMENT MMX, a new treatment for ulcerative colitis, receives European approval - October 22nd, 2014 [October 22nd, 2014]
- Sleep duration affects risk for ulcerative colitis - October 22nd, 2014 [October 22nd, 2014]
- My Journey= Ulcerative Colitis Proctitis PART#3 - Video - October 23rd, 2014 [October 23rd, 2014]
- Added benefit of vedolizumab is not proven - October 24th, 2014 [October 24th, 2014]
- My Journey= Ulcerative Colitis Proctitis PART#2 - Video - October 24th, 2014 [October 24th, 2014]
- Why Food Network Star Sunny Anderson Can't Eat Vegetables - October 24th, 2014 [October 24th, 2014]
- New compounds reduce debilitating inflammation - October 26th, 2014 [October 26th, 2014]
- Sleep Duration Linked to Ulcerative Colitis Risk in Study - October 27th, 2014 [October 27th, 2014]
- Ulcerative colitis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia - October 27th, 2014 [October 27th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis - American Society of Colon and Rectal ... - October 27th, 2014 [October 27th, 2014]
- NHS Ulcerative Colitis - NHS Choices - Your health, your ... - October 27th, 2014 [October 27th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis - October 27th, 2014 [October 27th, 2014]
- How to heal intestines | Ulcerative Colitis | SCD Lifestyle - Video - October 27th, 2014 [October 27th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis - Causes, Symptoms, Diet & Herbal Remedies in Punjabi - Video - October 27th, 2014 [October 27th, 2014]
- Receptos: good results for ulcerative colitis drug - October 29th, 2014 [October 29th, 2014]
- Should I Drink Alcohol if I Have Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis - Video - October 29th, 2014 [October 29th, 2014]
- New clinical trial data: Multiple sclerosis drug candidate also shows promise for ulcerative colitis - October 30th, 2014 [October 30th, 2014]
- TSRI's MS Drug Also Shows Promise In Ulcerative Colitis - November 1st, 2014 [November 1st, 2014]
- Justin Mirigliani repping 260lbs on the Bench! Never Surrender! Fighting Ulcerative Colitis! - Video - November 1st, 2014 [November 1st, 2014]
- Managing Ulcerative Colitis Naturally: Outlook & Perspective - Video - November 1st, 2014 [November 1st, 2014]
- My Ulcerative Colitis Diet - Video - November 1st, 2014 [November 1st, 2014]
- Healing my Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 2nd, 2014 [November 2nd, 2014]
- Peoria Connections Interview - Successes with autoimmune disease, ADHD, ulcerative colitis - Video - November 2nd, 2014 [November 2nd, 2014]
- Crohns Disease & Ulcerative Colitis The Diagnosing Difficulties - Video - November 2nd, 2014 [November 2nd, 2014]
- My Ulcerative Colitis Story - Video - November 3rd, 2014 [November 3rd, 2014]
- Pudge Rodriguez will be special guest at Crohns and Colitis Foundation dinner - November 4th, 2014 [November 4th, 2014]
- Diagnosing Crohns Disease & Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 4th, 2014 [November 4th, 2014]
- Natural Treatment for Ulcerative Colitis with Causes and Symptoms - Video - November 5th, 2014 [November 5th, 2014]
- Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 5th, 2014 [November 5th, 2014]
- CME Outfitters and USF Health to Host Medical Symposium in Conjunction with the 2014 Advances in IBD Crohns & Colitis ... - November 7th, 2014 [November 7th, 2014]
- How sleep affects my Ulcerative Colitis Symptoms - Video - November 7th, 2014 [November 7th, 2014]
- Healing my Ulcerative Colitis Webcam video from November 4, 2014 05:49 PM - Video - November 7th, 2014 [November 7th, 2014]
- Managing Extra-Intestinal Manifestations of Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 7th, 2014 [November 7th, 2014]
- Causes and Treatment of Crohns Disease and Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 8th, 2014 [November 8th, 2014]
- How to stop the Cause of IBS, Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 8th, 2014 [November 8th, 2014]
- Introduction to Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 8th, 2014 [November 8th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis Dr Tehsina0 - Video - November 8th, 2014 [November 8th, 2014]
- Taking Steps Against Crohn's and Colitis - November 9th, 2014 [November 9th, 2014]
- How To Make Chicken 3 Ways + Gut Healing Bone Broth - by Thyroid Loving Care - Video - November 10th, 2014 [November 10th, 2014]
- Ileal Pouch - Anal Anastomosis in Chronic Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 10th, 2014 [November 10th, 2014]
- Vlog #1 - November 10 2014 - Video - November 11th, 2014 [November 11th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis Patient Success Story - Video - November 11th, 2014 [November 11th, 2014]
- How to Recover from Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 12th, 2014 [November 12th, 2014]
- Vlog #2 - November 11, 2014 - Living with Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 13th, 2014 [November 13th, 2014]
- How IBD (Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis) Affects Mental Health - Video - November 15th, 2014 [November 15th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis Got Me Down - Video - November 15th, 2014 [November 15th, 2014]
- Surgeon Spotlight: Dr. Amit Merchea - Chronic Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 16th, 2014 [November 16th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis Proctitis: Doctor Update, Medications - Video - November 16th, 2014 [November 16th, 2014]
- Ulcerative Colitis Got You Down Too? - Video - November 16th, 2014 [November 16th, 2014]
- Management of ulcerative colitis - Wikipedia, the free ... - November 17th, 2014 [November 17th, 2014]
- IBD Support Group: Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis - November 17th, 2014 [November 17th, 2014]
- Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and the Team Challenge endurance training program - Video - November 17th, 2014 [November 17th, 2014]
- Let's CRUSH Ulcerative Colitis LIke a Coke Can - Video - November 19th, 2014 [November 19th, 2014]
- 21 Weeks Pregnant Update! - Ultrasound & Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 20th, 2014 [November 20th, 2014]
- Healing my Ulcerative Colitis Webcam video from November 17, 2014 02:48 PM - Video - November 20th, 2014 [November 20th, 2014]
- Is Crohns Disease or Ulcerative Colitis Hereditary? - Video - November 22nd, 2014 [November 22nd, 2014]
- Celebrity chef Sunny Anderson on living with irritable bowel disease - November 23rd, 2014 [November 23rd, 2014]
- 13 Years with Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 26th, 2014 [November 26th, 2014]
- Mark: Healed of Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 26th, 2014 [November 26th, 2014]
- Colonoscopy of Ulcerative Colitis - Video - November 30th, 2014 [November 30th, 2014]