Grieving mother urges Houston County to improve how they honor lost students during graduation

A Houston County mother is urging school leaders to change how they honor students who die before graduation, and said the current policy does not go far enough to recognize the lives and dreams lost.

Michele Brooks lost her daughter McKenzie to cancer in 2019 when McKenzie was just 11 years old. This school year, McKenzie would have graduated with Veterans High School’s Class of 2026, a milestone Brooks said is especially painful to miss.

“Tears fall but so do smiles,” Brooks said as she looked through photos of her daughter. “For her, each picture brings back the sound of laughter and the hope of a future that cancer took too soon.”

Brooks said McKenzie was a gymnast, loved making slime, and dreamed of becoming a teacher. Now, as McKenzie’s former classmates prepare to walk across the stage, Brooks faces a milestone she will never get to share with her daughter.

“I won’t get graduation. I won’t get prom. I won’t get people asking what she is going to do next?” Brooks said. “I won’t get that back. Because of cancer.”

READ MORE:

Видео Grieving mother urges Houston County to improve how they honor lost students during graduation канала 13WMAZ