Special Prom Is Good Medicine

Medicine can save lives, but sometimes smiles are the best medicine.

Kids that are very sick spend weeks, sometimes months at the hospital and it can be very boring. As Early Show contributor Flavia Colgan explains, a Philadelphia man came up with a way to bring a little fun into the lives of children stuck in hospitals.

For kids across the country, spring is prom season -- a time to get dressed up and hit the dance floor. But what if you happen to be stuck in a hospital?

Rachel Callison was diagnosed with bone cancer in December. Since then, she's spent nearly four months at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"The toughest part is when I have chemo and just laying here waiting for this to end," she said.

While a hospital visit is not considered fun, that is about to change.
The kids here are getting ready for a big night.

"It's the prom and I'm so excited about it," Rachel says.

"This whole prom is to help kids feel normal, because normally, when they're in the hospital, they are just inundated with doctors and nurses and charts and tests," says Jeffrey Kahan.

Kahan is the founder of "Smiles," an organization that puts on events to brighten the lives of hospital-bound children.

"Doctors will have their medicine, but we have our own form of medicine and it's called 'Smiles' medicine," says Kahan. "It's anything we can do to put a smile on their face."

That's what this prom is all about.

"They pick out a dress, any dress they want that fits them. They keep it. All the boys get suits," Kahan explaind. "They get their hair and their makeup done and they're dressed for the prom!"

Kahan founded "Smiles" in 1998, after his own 2-year-old son, Josh, lost a heartbreaking battle with leukemia.

"The whole idea of 'Smiles' was very simple, says Kahan. "I saw Josh smile. I saw how it got me through the day with Josh in the hospital. I am going to make sure that Josh is remembered -- that his smile is remembered and that I'm able to help all these other kids smile and forget about what it is that they're going through.

And there were no lack of smiles on the red carpet and as nearly 150 prom-goers of all ages made their way to the dance floor.

For some, going to a dance at the hospital was a new experience.
Yvette Hawks attended last year's prom just a few weeks after a heart transplant.

How does she think the prom helps kids that are sick?

"For those that are in the hospital, I think it gives…it makes them really happy, because it's like their first prom, especially the little ones. And they get to dance with someone and it's really fun."

Doctors at the children's hospital believe events like this can help kids get well.

"The idea that you can better just on the basis of good positive emotions is something that's well reported in the literature now," says Dr. Brian Hanna. "I think that you will see a different atmosphere on the wards tomorrow.

Kahan says that though this event is for the kids, they aren't the only ones having a great time.

"Kids need to smile," he says. "And the beauty of the 'Smiles' program is not just what it does to a child, but it's what it does to the parent. When you see your child smile that has not been smiling for weeks or months, there is nothing better. It's truly priceless."

Rachel says she had an amazing time at the prom, as did her mother.

"Just seeing her having a good day and enjoying herself after so many rough months, I had the best time myself, you know. It was just so nice seeing her enjoying herself," says Carrie Callison.

It's not often that one night can change your life, this night did for more than a few people.

Every month, the "Smiles" program brings the "Sesame Street" characters into the hospital to visit the kids in oncology. It also runs events like an all-you-can eat ice cream night and it also raises a good deal of money for leukemia research.