Grandma who couldn’t afford to go to prom during the Great Depression ends up going to great-grandson’s at age 97

Going to prom is a magical experience for any teen: with all the glitz and the glamour, what’s not to love? It’s custom to wear formal dresses and suits, and nothing makes teens feel like kings and queens quite like prom does.

But go back a few decades, and prom wasn’t accessible by everyone. During the Great Depression, many couldn’t afford to pay to go to the event.

One such person was 97-year-old Helen Danis. She grew up during the Great Depression, and reportedly didn’t have the money to attend the lavish event.

When her granddaughter Julie Huddon heard about this missed opportunity, she decided to try to give her grandmother the prom of her dreams, after all that she has been through. Julie asked her son’s school, Pilgrim High School, if Helen would be allowed to attend, and they said yes!

But she didn’t stop there: Julie wanted to make the experience as special as can be for Helen. “I got a crown for her and wrote her a note, asking her to be my date to prom,” she told WJAR.