Premature Babies Who Spent First Months in Same Tennessee Hospital NICU Attend Prom Together

Leighton Long and Tatum Kelly, both 17, have been friends since birth. 

The two were born prematurely and spent the first few months of their life in same neonatal intensive care unit at a Tennessee hospital.

So when prom rolled around, Tatum knew just who she wanted to take as her date.

“Even though we hadn't seen each other for a few years, when we met up it was like nothing had changed,” Tatum tells Inside Edition.

Leighton accepted his lifelong friend’s invite.

“When I first received it I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that sounds really fun!’” says Leighton.

Leighton only weighed 2 pounds, 10 ounces at birth, while little Tatum weighed 1 pound 7 ounces.

They met in the NCIU, but even after they left the hospital the two continued to spend time together.

Their mothers were thrilled to see their friendship flourish over the years.

“Their bond was just there from the beginning,” say Leighton's mother, Lorrie.

Tatum's mom agrees, saying: “It was super cool to see that they have that type of relationship that they are that close that they want to hang out with each other.”

Come prom night, Leighton was so excited to go with Tatum that he surprised her with a limo.

In the end, it was a night the two will remember for the rest of their lives.

"It was a really, really fun experience and it was so surreal," Leighton says.

Tatum felt the same way about spending her big night with Leighton.

"He is my best friend," says Tatum.

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