Teen Skips Senior Prom to Attend Dance for Boy She Met in Airport
"My son will never forget this," his mother said.
— -- An Iowa teen is being praised for skipping her own prom last weekend to attend a school dance for a boy she met in an airport.
Brittany Klocke, 19, of Carroll, Iowa, missed her April 16 prom to accompany Andrew Shumway, 14, to his dance after meeting him at Orlando International Airport, where the two were stranded for 14 hours when their flight to Minneapolis was canceled.
"I started talking to him and he started telling all these jokes," Brittany recalled of her meeting with Andrew. "I met his mom and dad. I talked to Andrew pretty much all day long and fell 'in love.'"
Brittany, a senior at Kuemper Catholic High School, told ABC News it was the second week of February when she went with her friend's family on a trip to Disney World.
On the way home, she met Andrew, who has cerebral palsy, and his family at the airport.
"My little brother Cayden, he has autism, so special needs came up and living with someone that needs a little more attention," Brittany said. "His mom brought it up that the special needs dance was in their community and Andrew asked, 'Will you go with me?'"
Brittany said she called her parents to tell them about Andrew's dance at Tomah Middle School in Tomah, Wisconsin. The event would take place on the same day as her senior prom, but she never hesitated to give it up for Andrew, she said.
Last Saturday, Brittany and her mother drove five hours from Iowa to Wisconsin.
Andrew presented Brittany with a white rose corsage that he picked out himself.
"He was just flabbergasted," Brittany said. "There were many tears. It was just beautiful."
Lauri Shumway, Andrew's mom, told ABC News she had no idea that Brittany was missing her senior prom to be her son's date.
"My heart was so overwhelmed and touched," Lauri said. "[Andrew] was so happy. He is a people-person. He loves to introduce people, so he was very excited to introduce her to the special needs staff, the classmates. He'd say, 'This is Brittany from the airport.'"
Lauri added: "My son will never forget this."
Brittany said she does not want to be the center of attention.
"This isn't even about me. This is about Andrew and the opportunities for kids with special needs," she said. "I would much rather give attention to families, any person with a disability and how amazing they are. They can do anything they put their minds to. They have the biggest heart and can put a smile on people's faces. They are just full of life and happiness."
After the dance, Andrew took Brittany out for ice cream. He also asked her to be his date at next year's dance.
