Toddler with heart defect attends high school prom
CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) – Friday was a night that 2-year-old Finn Blumenthal’s family will never forget.
The 2-year-old is facing life-threatening medical challenges and, despite not even being in preschool yet, he attended prom in the small town of Bowling Green.
“We told him he’s going to dance with the big kids today,” said Kelly Blumenthal, Finn’s mother.
It may not be your typical pre-prom ritual, but 2-year-old Finn spent the moments leading up to pre-prom photos by climbing a tree. Just inside, his prom date Taylor Schafer put on the final touches with the help of a celebrity makeup artist.
“When I was Miss Colorado 2015 and I did my nursing monologue on the Miss America Stage, afterward there was a little bit of controversy with my stethoscope and little Finn was one of the little boys who actually sent me a picture of him with the stethoscope,” Kelley Johnson said.
Finn has undergone ten surgeries in just the first two years of his life.
“It means the world that Taylor is sharing this opportunity with us and especially with Finn,” Kelly Blumenthal said.
His mother says more surgeries are right around the corner. “His heart is declining a little bit so he will begin to undergo some pretty risky open heart surgeries and heart surgeries over the next couple of months,” said Kelly Blumenthal.
But on this night, none of that matters. “For him to even be here is really truly a miracle,” said Schafer.
After snapping a few hundred photos of the glowing duo on their way to a night all too many take for granted, Finn’s mother acknowledged the moment.
“That’s a milestone,” Kelly Blumenthal said.
The couple rode in a black stretch limo equipped with a car seat. A night Finn may not even ever remember but it’s a night his mom will cherish forever.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Kelly Blumenthal said.
Finn has two major surgeries coming up in July and September.