For some people, high school years are the best years in their life. For others, however, it’s the opposite.
This is the time when one learns what makes them laugh and what makes them cry. They learn new things and get to socialize with friends.
The culmination of these years is the prom, an event many prepare for a year in advance and hope they find the right person to be their date.
18-year-old Brendan Ritchie, a senior at the Fort Zumwalt West High School in O’Fallon, Missouri, has been the dream date of every girl at his school. A straight-A student involved in the school’s cross-country squad and an athlete with a generous heart, this young man is loved by everyone who has ever met him.
When it came to choosing his ideal prom date, Brendan let his heart opt for friendship. Namely, over the years, he made great friends with a girl named Ellie McCool.
When she was born, Ellie looked like any other child. She reached all the milestones just in time, but when she turned four, her parents realized something was wrong. Some of her body parts stopped functioning like before, and she was soon diagnosed with Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological brain disorder which affects girls mostly. Over time, Ellie experienced difficulties communicating verbally, but despite her condition, she was accepted by everyone at the school. She made lots of friends who included her in every social activity.
Knowing that Ellie loved Iron Man very much, Brendan asked her to be his date wearing the costume of this superhero in front of everyone at the school cafeteria. “Ellie, do you want to be my Iron Woman at the prom?” the sign Brendan carried read.
Ellie was over the moon, her answer to this question was a resounding yes.
“Every girl dreams of having a date to her senior prom,” Ellie’s friend Elizabeth Steiner said. “So the fact that Ellie was going to have one too was awesome.”
Everyone had the time of their life on their prom night. All of Ellie’s friends were there and made sure she felt like the princess she is.
“She’s just a really awesome girl and she deserves to go to prom with someone and I felt if it was going to be anybody, I’d like it to be me,” Brendan said.
Brendan made Ellie the happiest girl ever. She now has beautiful memories to cherish forever.
For more on this beautiful story go to the video below.