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An Ohio teenager made his mother’s dream come true by inviting her to be his date for prom after she missed out on hers (video below).
MelissaRoshan Potter, 36, grew up in 23 different foster homes, WCMH reported. Her mother had her after being raped at age 13, and she gave birth to her own son, Trey, at age 16.
With very few resources at her disposal, Potter was forced to live in a homeless shelter. The teen mom could not attend her prom as a result.
“After surviving a tumultuous childhood and an even harder time while in foster care, I immediately transitioned into being a teen mother,” she told US Weekly. “Seeing all my friends around me go to prom … was incredibly difficult. Part of me really wanted to go, but I knew I had a baby that needed me. And that became my reason for finding peace in missing out.”
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Potter’s son, Trey, 18, decided to do something about that. Instead of taking a fellow classmate to prom like everyone else, Trey took his mom.
“She never had that experience and she’s risked so much for me throughout my life and made so many sacrifices,” Trey told WCMH. “I thought it would be the right thing to do.”
Potter spoke about the struggle she endured raising Trey on her own.
“When I was pregnant with him well, I heard, ‘Mel because you lived in the foster care system, you’re probably not going to raise a thriving individual,'” Potter recalled. “‘It just doesn’t happen. You can’t give him what you don’t have.’
“So seeing who he has become and knowing the sacrifices that have been made and how much I love him and seeing that come to fruition, I’ve proved them wrong.”
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Potter persevered and became a model. She landed several magazine covers and is now a strong advocate for foster care children across the country.
Trey said after everything his mother has been through, taking her to prom was the least he could do.
“I think it shows her how much I appreciate her ’cause I really do after all she’s been through and all I’ve been through with her,” Trey said.
Trey plans to study chemical engineering and become the first in his family to go to college.
As for prom night, Potter said it will be a night she will always remember.
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“It felt awkward at first,” Potter told the Daily Mail. “I felt like a grandma initially, but then I shifted from acting like his mother to just being his date, and that helped remove the awkwardness.
“I left after one hour because I wanted Trey to have time to enjoy the prom without me there. … When I went home and went to bed I felt so much peace as I went to sleep. The evening was the highlight of my life.”
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