All the feels: Teen with cancer receives the sweetest surprise from her homecoming date

Allie Allen was incredibly nervous for her homecoming. And no, it wasn’t because of normal teen nerves.

When Allie was just 14, she was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma, a tumor in her brain. Though she was treated and given the best news she could have from her doctors — that there was no evidence of recurring disease — recently, the cancer relapsed in a different part of her brain, meaning it has spread. She’s had to undergo chemotherapy and shave her head. On top of all this, Allie’s mother, Debbi, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

“[Allie] had surgery and 33 rounds of radiation,” Debbi told KPHO. “There’s no cure or remission. We live kind of scan to scan.”

Despite the fact that Allie has had to go through more than any teen should, she’s refused to let her illness stop her from living life to the fullest. A dedicated and active dancer, Allie has been undergoing extreme fluctuations in her energy levels, and it’s been immensely difficult for her to be slowed down by her radiation treatment.

“A couple times, she has mentioned stopping treatment, and you can’t,” Debbi told KPHO. “You stop treatment and you die, and she knows that. It’s just frustrating for her not feeling healthy and just not being that normal 17-year-old. And that’s just all she wants.”

“With cranial spinal radiation comes lots and lots of terrible side effects,” Allie wrote on her family’s GoFundMe page. “I have been getting extremely sick and weak, which I really hate. . . But it all comes in waves—one day I won’t be able to walk or talk or eat much, while the next day I can feel fine and have energy to do whatever!”

However, even through all of this, one of the things she was dreading most was shaving her head:

Naturally, Allie was nervous about going to her school homecoming dance without her hair, but little did she know that her date, Brayden Carpenter, had a huge surprise for her. Brayden, whom Allie has known since sixth grade, showed up at her house with a shaved head to help her feel comfortable. “Brayden Carpenter shaved his head prior to the dance so Allie would feel comfortable,” Allie’s mother on her Facebook page. “Allie had no clue until he showed up! Now that is class!!!”

And they looked seriously amazing together. Just look:

What a fabulous date and a fabulous family. Thank you, Brayden, for going out of your way to put a smile on the face of someone who’s been dealing with so much. Sometimes, it’s just the little actions that can speak volumes and uplift a family who has been facing more than anyone should ever have to. To help the Allen family, you can donate to their GoFundMe here.

(Image via Facebook.)