Angel Eaton is a beautiful 10th grader at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala. who enjoys hanging out with her boyfriend and loves music. But her family was shocked to find out late last year that she’d been diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer.
Since then, Angel has spent well over a month in the hospital, underwent numerous surgeries, and continues to receive treatments on an ongoing basis even though she’s been able to come home.
In February, Angel’s friends threw her a “surprise prom,” when they found out her treatments could possibly keep her from attending the school’s prom later this in the year.
The Tuscaloosa News wrote about it several weeks ago:
Angel’s friends knew the Hillcrest High sophomore had been looking forward to the prom for months and already had a blue dress ready for the big date. They wanted her to be able to dance and enjoy the prom as much as any other teenager.
“We have a friend who is a cancer survivor and a friend of hers from Georgia threw the idea out there,” said Leslie Barger, a friend of the Eaton family.
The friends had one week to find a location, arrange food and all the decorations. MJ Academy of Dance in Taylorville supplied the location, free of charge.
Kim Hubbard, the Georgia resident who has never met Kim or Angel, heard about Angel’s story and paid for all the food. A photographer was also there to document Angel’s big night.
“We took pictures and talked and danced, and just hung out,” Angel Eaton said.
It was one night where Angel could be like any other teenager.
“Everyone was so amazing,” Kim Eaton (Angel’s mom) said. “I definitely cried. Angel had so much energy and was so excited and smiling all night. It was so great to see her so alive again.”
Last week, the Eaton family got another surprise when Dr. Billy Joy, their pastor at Valley View Baptist Church, showed up on their doorstop.
“We just felt compelled, Angel and Kim, to take up an offering as people left the church,” Joy explained. “We did that and enclosed in here is a check for $14,000. It’s a free gift to you guys… We just wanted to be a blessing to y’all… We’re praying for Angel still, but we don’t think it’s good enough to just say, ‘Hey, we’re praying for you.’ We wanted to be a blessing. We know that’s not going to cover medical bills, and we don’t even necessarily intend it just for medical bills. We want it to be for whatever you need it for.”
“Thank you,” Kim Eaton said, fighting back tears. “That’s a lot.”
The video below captures the moment. It was initially created to just be shown to the church on Sunday morning, and is actually not even “listed” on YouTube, which means it cannot be found using the search function. But it has started to make the rounds on social media.
Donations have been flooding in for the Eatons. If you’re interested in getting involved, contact Valley View Baptist Church at (205) 752.0977.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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