A special graduation ceremony was held at an Ohio hospice so a terminally ill mom could see her daughter get her high school diploma.
Melissa Shumaker has late-stage pancreatic cancer and would have been unable to attend her daughter Evie Schumker's graduation at the Newark Digital Academy, reports The Associated Press. The 17-year-old told school officials about her mother and they decided to have a small ceremony in the hospice room.
"Pomp and Circumstance" was played on a cellphone as officials handed Evie her diploma, while she wore her graduation gown.
Evie told the Zanesville Times Recorder, "It's been really hard because I didn't think she would actually see me graduate." The teen added, "So the fact that the school did that for me and my mom was able to see me -- it's one of those moments in my life that I'm never going to forget."
Newark Digital Director John Lutz said that he heard about the situation and her teacher Jason Dunbar suggested they do something. So they decided to hold the ceremony in Melissa's room after determining Evie would be graduating.
Lutz said, "We thought it was the right thing to do to make sure her mother knows she will be a 2014 graduate."