PALO ALTO, Calif-- “I had to ask myself. What if I never see Shawn in a tux again?”
 
Mom Trista Stockwell knew the answer right away. So, she took 8-year-old son Shawn to a Palo Alto tuxedo shop and had him fitted for this Friday’s “Wish Upon a Star” prom at Packard Children’s Hospital. Shawn is waiting on a new heart and has been on the transplant list a long 15 months, and Trista knows there are no guarantees.
 
That’s why the hospital schoolteachers, all from the Palo Alto Unified School District, aren’t limiting Friday’s bash to just high schoolers. “For the more seriously ill, this may be their only chance for a prom,” said Kathy Ho, teacher and prom advisor. “That’s why this night means so much to kids like Shawn.”
 
Make no mistake; the semi-formal event is the real thing. “There’ll be stars everywhere,” said Ho, who noted that the hospital school will be unrecognizable on this special night. “The students, teachers, volunteers and hospital engineers are giving the place a makeover you won’t believe.” Anyone attending the school over the past year is invited, including brothers and sisters who relocated to Palo Alto while their sibling received care. Normal prom rules apply. “Each student is allowed one guest, such as a date, friend or sibling,” said Ho. “We also have casino games, raffles for iPods, music, dancing and plenty of food.”
 
It’s a can’t-miss event and the biggest night of the year at the hospital. That’s why one former patient is flying in all the way from Arizona. Another, a high schooler relocated from Samoa for lupus treatment, now has a chance to wear a dress for only the 2nd time in her life. And Shawn, of course, is finalizing that tux, a big deal since he’s bringing a beautiful date. Her name? Samantha, his 11-year-old sister. She has a gold dress picked out.
 
Teachers, students, volunteers and hospital staff all play a role in making it happen. "We love seeing how excited kids get at prom," said schoolteacher Thayer Gershon. Much of this year's support has been through the generosity of hospital school volunteer Lin French and her husband Jim, from Los Gatos, who find the hospital prom experience "absolute magic.”
 
“We’re helping these kids wish upon a star,” added head teacher Cammy Sunde, “by making their prom dreams a reality. That’s why no other prom can match this one.”