When news first spread that 11-year-old Madison Smallwood had a bucket list wish to go to prom, it didn’t take long for the promposals to begin pouring in.
One by one, cakes, flowers, doughnuts and even T-shirts rolled in as classmates offered to take the Monroe, Ohio fifth-grader battling cancer to her dream prom.
"I went to go find a dress. And then I'm like, ‘Well, I don't have a date’ and that's when those four dates happened and then it kind of turned into a whole prom," Madison said.
A venue was donated and the community came together to bring food, photography, and other prom activities to the evening.
"It just fills my heart because she's going through a rough time obviously so if it's anything to make it better, then why not?" prom date Colby Watts said.
Young girls and boys dressed up, taking prom photos with Smallwood before the group of friends and classmates took a ride in a hot pink limo – arriving to the big dance in style.
"Monroe has truly a heart of gold and I would not live anywhere else but Monroe," her mother Lori Smallwood said.
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But even though the evening was a wish-come-true, the children couldn’t help but recognize why they were there.
"It's scary that she might not make it, but at the same time, the doctors are doing everything they can to make her feel better," prom date Nolan Mattingoi said.
Madison’s family said the young girl still has some bucket list items to check off, including a trip to the beach and a visit to Cincinnati’s beloved hippo, Fiona.
But there’s still one thing Madison said she’d change to make her dream prom even better.
“To not have cancer,” she said.
