She dreamed for years of going to her senior prom but thought no one would ever ask her.
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/6867372/article-Dreams-do-come-trueby Katy Ruth Camp
March 28, 2010
EAST COBB - "I feel like a princess," Casey Carroll, 19, said as she walked to the limousine that was to take her to dinner and her prom at the Fox Theatre. Her mother clicked her camera every five seconds, looking for the perfect shot after an hour of staged photos. Casey Carroll, dressed in a floral gown she bought days after being asked to the prom last summer in the midst of her uncontrollable excitement, smiled as she turned to her mother and said what most teenage girls have said to their mothers at least once: "Mom, stop. You're embarrassing me." But Casey Carroll was not like most girls at the Lassiter High School prom. She was not the prom queen, she was not looking forward to any big after-party, and she was ready to step out of her high heels before she even got into her limo. "When Casey was little, me and her father just thought she would probably never get to go to the prom, because we just weren't sure anyone would ask her," said Sue Ann Carroll, Casey Carroll's mother. "Not only is she getting to go, but she has two great dates. To see that, and to see her so happy, I can't tell you how much that means to us." That's because Casey Carroll, full of laughter, jokes and smiles, was born with Down Syndrome. And as much love as Casey Carroll gives, she receives even more.
"She's my girl," Casey Carroll's brother, Kevin Carroll, said as he stood near his sister, dressed in his tuxedo. Kevin Carroll is a junior offensive lineman at Auburn University, and has always had a close relationship with his little sister, even giving up his free afternoons as a Lassiter student to sit with her at lunch. "I can honestly say knowing her has made me a better person. She's waited so long for this, I'm just really happy for her."
Kevin Carroll would have taken his sister to her prom, without any hesitation. No need, though, as she had a date most Lassiter girls would have loved to have. Philip Lutzenkirchen, a former Lassiter and current Auburn football star, told Casey Carroll he would take her to her prom last father's day, as the Lutzenkirchen and Carroll families celebrated the holiday together. The two families have been close ever since Kevin Carroll and Lutzenkirchen became friends as Lassiter football teammates.
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Luckily, with a combination of new medicine, love and prayers, Casey Carroll was well enough to have her day in the limelight. But Lutzenkirchen was not as lucky, when he received a concussion during Auburn's Saturday morning football scrimmage. After visiting the doctor, it was apparent he would not be feeling well and would not make it in time for photos, but that did not stop him from coming.
"I told her I would take her, so I'm going to do that," Lutzenkirchen said, as he traveled from Auburn to Marietta on Saturday evening. "We just have a special relationship. She makes me crack up, and she has that gift where she just lights everyone up. She deserves a great prom."
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