Brooklyn Kropka-Monroe and her family had been looking forward to her high school graduation for months.
But when the honours student’s terminally ill father was recently sent home from the hospital on hospice care, Sunday’s ceremony couldn’t come fast enough.
Rod Monroe has stage four cancer of the colon, lungs and bones and doctors didn’t think he would make it through the weekend.
That’s when Martin’s Ferry High School in Ohio organized an early ceremony on Friday just for Brooklyn so that a recording of her walking across the stage to receive her diploma could be shown to her dad.
The already emotional event was made even more special when Rod unexpectedly showed up to attend his daughter’s graduation.
“We thought we were just going to have a little ceremony, record it and show him the tape,” Brooklyn’s best friend Kayla Hungerman told WTRF. “But we were really fortunate that he got up this morning and had the strength to come.”
Attendees and school officials applauded as Brooklyn accepted her diploma and was named the recipient of an academic and athletic achievement award.
School Principal Jim Fogle said it was impossible not to extend a loving hand to the family.
“You could see the love and compassion they have for each other,” he said. “And to be able to do something like this for one of our own – and Brooklyn is such a special person – we just couldn’t wait to do this for her.”
As Brooklyn and her father embraced, Rod couldn’t help but express his pride.
“You don’t know what it means to watch your daughter walk across the stage and get her diploma,” Rod told WTOV.
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