WASHINGTON – A local teen who battled testicular cancer for most of his senior year just wanted to take his girlfriend to her prom – but to do that, Jared Hill had to wear a surgical face mask.

Due to a weakened immune system from cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, Hill had to be very careful not to get sick, according to news reports.

Hill attends Hylton High School in Woodbridge, Va. His girlfriend, Emily Jarrell, goes to Osbourn Park High School near Manassas in Prince William County.

To make him feel welcome and in a show of support, their friends stepped up and wore masks right along with him.

“We just wore them so he wasn’t alone,” Jarrell, 18, told ABC News.

Photos of the large group of teenagers wearing facemasks and prom attire have drawn significant attention online, including Twitter retweets from celebrities.

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