Helen Danis, a 97-year-old woman from Rhode Island, never got to experience the excitement of prom during her teen years 80 years ago. Her family was struggling through the Great Depression, and she simply couldn’t afford to go.
“I couldn’t keep up with the kids,” Danis told NBC 10 News. “I didn’t really fit in. We were in the middle of a depression and money was scarce.”
But her granddaughter, Julie Huddon, was determined to make the classic event, among other bucket list items, a reality for her grandmother. “We’ve been doing a lot of things that she has said she wanted to do,” Huddon said. “She sat on Santa’s lap for the first time in December.”
“My nephew’s wife said, ‘You need to figure what she hasn’t done and what she wants to and try to get it done. And if anyone can do it, you can,’” Huddon said per an AARP interview.
So Huddon, whose son Evan attends Pilgrim High School in Warwick, Rhode Island, asked the school’s principal if she could attend the annual prom with a special guest. He agreed instantly and was “nothing but supportive,” Huddon said.
Danis then received her very first “promposal” from her granddaughter. “I got a crown for her and wrote her a note, asking her to be my date to prom,” says Huddon. “She’s mentioned a couple times about not being able to go to her prom.” The heart-shaped note read: “Grammie, will you be my prom queen and go to senior prom with me?”
Danis, who “used to love dancing,” was thrilled. Equipped with a long orchid gown, comfortable shoes, a corsage, and trolley car, the pair made their way to the Rhodes on the Pawtuxet ballroom to enjoy a night they’d never forget.
Danis did the “Hully Gully” (an old-school dance line) and even enjoyed modern dances like the Cupid Shuffle and Cha-Cha Slide, per CNN. To make the night even more memorable? Danis was named honorary prom queen.
“I think the overall message is that we have to take care of elders, and if they have things that they want to do, we have to help them achieve these goals,” Gerald Habershaw, the school’s principal told AARP. “It was a good, fun night, and the kids were very receptive. And she loved it.”
It’s a moment Huddon will cherish forever, too. “I feel blessed that I can share some of her memories,” she says. “I’ll always remember this night.”
Stay updated on the latest science-backed health, fitness, and nutrition news by signing up for the Prevention.com newsletter here. For added fun, follow us on Instagram.
Alisa Hrustic is the deputy editor at Prevention, where she leads the brand’s digital editorial strategy. She’s spent the last five years interviewing top medical experts, interpreting peer-reviewed studies, and reporting on health, nutrition, weight loss, and fitness trends for national brands like Women’s Health and Men’s Health. She spends most of her days diving into the latest wellness trends, writing and editing stories about health conditions, testing skincare products, and trying to understand the next greatest internet obsession.
