Teen Takes Mom with Months to Live to Her First Prom: ‘I Hope My Mom Feels Very Special’

After her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, a teenager knew she had to make every moment count. While scrolling through her friends’ Facebook profiles one day, she had a brilliant idea. Days later, she enlisted her cousins’ help to surprise her mom.

Alexis Gaymon shared a unique connection with her beloved mother, Libby Gaymon. It was a profound bond that defied logic and explanation and became stronger and deeper with time. While there’s nothing unusual about mothers and daughters being close, it was a little different for Libby and her girl.

A little while after going into remission from stage three breast cancer, Libby received a spine-chilling piece of news—she had months to live as her cancer had metastasized to other parts of her body, including her spine, skull, liver, lungs, femur, and pelvis.

Making Every Second Count

Alexis saw her whole life change when her mother’s cancer was declared terminal. While she couldn’t bear the thought of parting with her mom, she knew she had to make the most of their time together.

After receiving the green signal from her school officials, it was time to implement the plan, which was precisely what the teen did.

She sat in her bedroom one day, thinking about what she could do to make her favorite person feel special and loved. For a long time, she tried to think of the perfect plan to make her mom happy.

A Brilliant Idea

Eventually, Alexis gave up—at least for the time being, picked up her phone, and began scrolling through her Facebook feed. She liked what she saw because her face instantly lit up. It turned out that she had stumbled upon her friends’ “proposals” on the social media platform.

A switch flipped on in her brain, and she had a perfect idea—she decided to take Libby as her high school prom date. She knew the proposal would touch her mother because she had missed her prom in school. Alexis recalled:

“If anything was to happen to my mom, I want her to live her life to the fullest.”

A Coordinated Effort

Keeping it all a secret from her mother, Alexis devised an epic plan and shared it with her cousins, who agreed to help her execute it brilliantly. But one important thing still needed to be done—as a graduating senior, Alexis couldn’t bring a date older than 21.

Since Alexis’ school principal was already aware of Libby’s health, all she had to do was give her the recent heartbreaking update. After receiving the green signal from her school officials, it was time to implement the plan, which was precisely what the teen did.

The Promposal

To pull off the perfect “promposal,” Alexis asked her cousins to stand in a line holding a board that read, “Mom, would you go to PROM?” Behind her cousins, she stood with a lovely flower bouquet in her hands.

As soon as Libby saw her daughter’s heart-melting proposal, she was stunned and couldn’t hold back her tears. Teary-eyed, she admitted she was surprised by her young girl’s proposal.

Meanwhile, Alexis had nothing but love and praise for the person who meant the world to her. She wanted her mom to feel special because she loved her immensely. She expressed:

“She’s a very strong, intelligent woman. Nobody’s perfect but in my eyes my mom is perfect.”

Attending Prom in Style

In May 2017, 42-year-old Libby and 17-year-old Alexis left for the senior prom in a limousine donated by the teenager’s school, McKinley High School. Several people lined the streets to give a lovely sendoff to the mother-daughter duo, who looked breathtakingly beautiful.

Many people came together to make the night special for Libby by offering free makeup and a wig; she and Alexis even received a corsage supply. Libby said she would never forget the prom night with her baby girl and will reminisce about it until her final moments.

Words of Wisdom

The proud mother even created a crowdfunding page to ask people to support her prom journey. “I never got an opportunity to go to my own prom, so not only will this be my first prom ever it will be something my daughter can always cherish,” she wrote on the GoFundMe page.

After having a night-to-remember with her caring daughter, Libby passed away in October 2017 at age 43. In an interview with a local news outlet before her death, the Buffalo, New York resident had shared a piece of simple advice:

“Slow down and take time to appreciate the world around you, or else you’ll miss everything.”

Netizens React

Alexis and Libby’s heartwarming story gained traction, amassing encouraging and supportive comments from netizens far and wide. Let’s take a look at a few of the comments people shared online:

“You raised a wonderful daughter, hope you both had a great time at the prom! You both look stunning!!”

— (@monica.ricefarnham) May 21, 2017

“It will be a memorable night for them both. Good for you ‘ladies’ – enjoy (sic)!!”

— (@carla.garven) May 21, 2017

“Thank you all so very much for your wonderful compliments me and my daughter had an amazing time please just continue to pray for us again thank you all (sic).”

— (@libby.gaymon) May 20, 2017

We are glad both mother and daughter had an unforgettable prom night. If you liked reading this story, click here to read another one about a teen boy who took his mother to prom. She only had months to live so she put on the most beautiful dress she had ever worn.