A Bay area girl is turning her difficult time into hope for pediatric patients.

Noni Gurley, a 15-year-old who has been in and out of St. Joseph's Children's Hospital most of her life, has teamed up with a local charity to give other patients a prom they likely will never forget.

  • Hospital staff and patient plan dance for kids
  • Dance scheduled for next Friday at St. Joseph's Childrens Hospital
  • Formal wear donations still needed

Gurley's big dance is not like most high school dances. She suffers from a rare disorder that's kept her hospitalized most of her life.

But just like most teen girls, Gurley can't wait to get dolled up for the party.

"Every year I get so excited I nearly jump out of my shoes," she said.

Gurley teamed up with a local non-profit charities to create an event to help the hospitalized children have a night they wouldn't forget.

"Some of them have been here their whole lives," Gurley said of some of her fellow patients. "They don't go anywhere, they don't leave."

The hospital staff began collecting donated formal wear for the children. Soon, truckloads of clothes were arriving at the hospital. The goal was to get 50 dresses but Noni and the charity collected nearly 300 different types of donations.

"She warms the hearts of everyone she comes in contact with," said St. Joseph's Child Life Specialist Leslie Holley of Noni.

Noni and her friends, who have become like family at the hospital, said they can not get over the generosity of the community.

"I've never seen so many people do something like that ever in my whole life," Gurley said. "It just makes me want to break down in tears."

While she's excited for the big dance, it is the impact on her fellow patients she looks forward to the most.

"I don't care about me in that moment. What I care about is seeing all those kids," she said. "That's what I look forward to."

The big dance is being held next Friday at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital.

Hospital officials said they are still in need of boys dress clothes and extra-small-sized clothes for girls. Call (813) 554-8500 for more information.