2-year-old with heart defect invited to high school prom

Finn Blumenthal and his mom will be special guests of senior Taylor Schafer's.

ByABC News
February 28, 2017, 2:48 PM

— -- A toddler and his mom will be making memories this year as one teen's special senior prom guests.

Taylor Schafer, 17, a student at Caroline High School in Milford, Virginia, invited Finn Blumenthal, 2, to accompany her to the dance on April 21.

Finn was born with a congenital heart defect, which causes life-threatening medical challenges, his mother Kelly Blumenthal of Fredericksburg told ABC News today.

"He'll have the memory, so if he is hospitalized in the future we can say, 'Hey, you did go to a senior prom.'" she said.

"It's a dream come true because as a parent with a medically-challenged child, we don't know what the future holds and I dream of things like this," Blumenthal added. "I want him to go to prom, have a family, go to college [but] I can't tell the future. The fact that I can check this off the list no matter what is a relief. I can't repay her for that."

When Finn was born, he survived 10 surgeries, including three procedures on his heart.

Although he's spent most of his life in and out of the hospital, Blumenthal, a mom of two, said Finn is resilient.

"He is not sad that he has heart disease, it does not bother him at all," she said. "Whether it's climbing stuff or catching up with his brother pulling a red wagon, he wants to do it. He loves being around people, especially children."

Last October, Blumenthal said she met high school teen Taylor Schafer through a mutual acquaintance.

Schafer began following Finn's story on Facebook and later reached out to Blumenthal, asking if she and Finn could be her special guests at prom.

PHOTO: Taylor Schafer, 17, a senior in high school in Caroline County, Virginia, invited Finn Blumenthal, 2, to accompany her to prom, which is taking place April 21, 2017.
Taylor Schafer, 17, a senior in high school in Caroline County, Virginia, invited Finn Blumenthal, 2, to accompany her to prom, which is taking place April 21, 2017.

On Monday, Schafer officially invited Finn to prom with a marquee message at the local Chick-fil-A in Fredericksburg. The restaurant staff knows the Blumenthals and often holds fundraisers to raise money for Finn's medical bills, as well as the American Heart Association, assistant marketing director Nicole Robyn told ABC News.

"Because of our close relationship with the Blumenthal family, we were thrilled to get to be a part of this really sweet, inspirational story," Robyn said.

Anna Swink, Taylor Schafer's mother, told ABC News that she's "very proud" of her daughter's kind gesture.

"I think its amazing," said Swink, a Caroline County resident. "She's got a big heart and I always knew she wanted to do something like this. She loves children. When she found Finn, she started following him and just fell in love with him."

On April 21, Finn will wear a James Bond-esque black tuxedo to prom, his mom said. Flowers and a limo have been donated from local businesses.

"I'm excited to go to prom with Finn because I know he will have a great time dancing and seeing everyone there," Taylor Schafer wrote to ABC News. "I feel that taking Finn to prom will [raise] awareness for CHD and seeing him do all the things that most children with CHD cannot do will be just amazing. He had so many limits on what he was allowed to do in the past and seeing him overcome those limits [is] wonderful."