Photo story by India Garrish

Sarah Camp, 23, works on makeup for Skylar Russell, 15, on Wednesday at MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Camp started working in Russell's wing about a week before Russell arrived, and Camp immediately knew they would be friends. “I noticed she was watching 'Bones,' the show that I’m watching,” Camp said. “And I was like, ‘I like this girl.’”

From left, Skylar Russell, Sarah Camp, Nikki Winningham and Brittany Stone prepare for prom on Wednesday at MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The video being passed around the room features Skylar dancing the day before, after having her nutrition tubes removed for the first time since her hospitalization began in April. Skylar's nurses said they have come to understand her personality during her time at the hospital. “If Skylar is yelling at you, she’s fine,” Winningham and Stone said in agreement. "If Skylar’s not yelling at you, then that’s an issue."

Randal Russell, Skylar’s grandfather, drops her off at her prom on Wednesday at MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Randal and his wife, Helen, spend four days of the week at the hospital and travel on weekends doing shows with their music performance group, Helen Russell and Company. Randal told Skylar she has experienced more than most people her age. "I said, ‘At 15, you’ve had more surgeries than most grown-ups their whole lives,'” Randal said. “She’ll have a story to tell."

Nurses and doctors attending Skylar's prom left notes on a T-shirt outside of the event on Wednesday at MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Venkataraman Ramachandran, Skylar's surgeon who goes by Dr. Ram, wrote “You can climb mountains.” Ramachandran has performed all seven surgeries on Skylar, including the removal of 4 feet of her small intestine.

Surgeon Venkataraman Ramachandran, left, dances with Skylar after the pair was crowned prom king and queen on Wednesday at MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Skylar was asked to choose four nurses to be in the running, then she was chosen to be prom queen. “I had no idea this would happen,” she said jokingly after being crowned.

Skylar dances with the nurses and doctors who have cared for her during her hospitalization at MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Surgeon Venkataraman Ramachandran said she has been tenacious during her battle with Crohn’s disease. "A lot of people are ready to give up when they have difficult circumstances,” Ramachandran said. “But not her.”

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