Jerika Bolen has type II spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) – a neurological disease that can not be cured, and will eventually cause Bolen to lose control of her muscles and die.
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As a result, she has been confined to an electric wheelchair most of her life. But before then, the 14-year-old made it clear that she wanted to fulfill her wish to go to prom. As Bolen approaches the end of her life, her friends and local businesses teamed up to throw Bolen the prom that she will never get to experience – and the event exceeded even her greatest expectations.
“She’s feeling very loved, and it’s fantastic”, her childhood friend, Mackenzie Falck, said. “She just captivated me”.
After a touching last dance with her daughter, which was Bolen’s highlight of the night, she told InsideEdition.com that it was just a reminder of what little time her daughter has on Earth.
Bolen told the “Appleton Post-Crescent” she’s baffled by how many people have been touched by her story. At the end of August, she will remove the ventilator and wait for the inevitable.
“I know I can’t always be happy every day”. Bolen and her mother enjoyed a prom court dance of sorts as Bolen proudly flashed her “Prom Princess” sash.
“I don’t know how to describe it”, she said. She’d retreat outdoors or to the restroom in the company of her nurses to the let the stress settle before heading back to the dance floor. She feels like family. “It’s fun. It’s a lot of people, and they look up to me”.
Jerika’s mother, meanwhile, stood in awe at the outpouring of support that has come her daughter’s way in the past week, highlighted by Friday’s turnout for the prom. Prom planning had helped take her mind off her daughter’s coming death.
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“I thought it was going to be low-key, but this is really awesome”, Bolen said at the prom.
