Teen invites terminally-ill younger sister to high school formal
South Dakota teen AJ Spader realized that his cancer-stricken younger sister might not get to go to high school. So, he invited her to his high school Valentine's Day formal.
"He came to us and said, 'Rebekah might not get to go to her own dance,'" AJ's mother, Stephanie Spader, told ABC News. "He wanted to give her that experience."
10-year-old Rebekah was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a potentially terminal form of bone marrow cancer.
She underwent a bone marrow transplant last year, but it proved unsuccessful. The family has decided to stop all treatments and let Rebekah enjoy the time that she has left.
For the day of the dance, Rebekah was treated to a full day of pampering. She dressed up in a midnight-blue frock with a glittery collar and had her hair and makeup done at home by her relatives.
She posed for pictures alongside her brother in her dress and tiara, and had a special pre-dance dinner with her brother's friends and their dates.