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11th Annual 'CHOP Prom' Gives Patients A Nice Distraction

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--Patients at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia spent the day getting pampered in preparation for the 11th annual patient prom.

First it's the pre-prom salon at CHOP. It's equipped with all the necessities: fancy dresses, colorful nail polish and plenty of sparkles.

And yes there's hair and makeup.

For patients and their families at Children's Hospital the annual prom is a nice distraction and a place to have fun.

"It's all about smiles, it's all about forgetting what you're dealing with on a daily basis," said Jeff Kahan, who sponsors the CHOP Prom.

Jeff sponsors the prom in memory of his son. The Joshua Kahan Fund also raises money for pediatric cancer research.

"The reason the smiles are important is because when I lost Josh 20 years ago--I remember Josh's smile," said Kahan.

Brooke Mulford, who's going with green nails for the prom, has been getting treatment at CHOP for 8 years. She has neuroblastoma.

"It's a good way to take a break from the hospital and get to hang out with other people," she says.

"This is an amazing event that they put on," says Brooke's mom, Amy.

Amy says going thru frilly dresses is something that they wouldn't ordinarily get to do because her daughter has been so sick, for a long time.

"So her getting to do things like this that she may never have the opportunity to do , it means a lot to me ."

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