A mother from Texas honored her late daughter by taking her place at a local high school during her graduation ceremony. Waco Independent School District mom Roshaunda Carr crossed the stage on Friday to pay tribute to her daughter, who passed away unexpectedly from epilepsy last year.
While the University High School class of 2025 sat in expectation during the ceremony, not all of the people wearing a cap and gown were students. Roshaunda Carr donned her cap and gown in honor of her daughter, Jakayla Gardner Carr, who was unable to wear them.
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According to the proud mother, her daughter had been fighting the illness since she was eleven years old. Even after having to relearn everything after a severe seizure, Roshaunda Carr said her daughter continued to do exceptionally well in school.
Roshaunda Carr said on the morning of October 6, 2024, she texted Jakayla Gardner Carr, reminding her when to take her medicine, but when she got no response, her heart started racing.
“I got up. That’s when I checked on her, and that’s when I found her. She passed away in her sleep from a seizure,” the mother told KWTX.
Roshaunda Carr said she would give anything for Jakayla Gardner Carr to cross the stage herself, but she’s staying strong and keeping her daughter’s name alive.
“It’s bittersweet. Jakayla is the first out of her siblings to graduate,” she said of the emotional day.
The mother, however, acknowledged the difficulty in knowing she should be watching her daughter walk across the stage with her sister, Aniyah, instead of doing it for her.
“It’s a ball of emotions. I wish she were here. I wish she were here. There’s not a day that goes by … it’s just hard,” Roshaunda Carr expressed.
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Last year, Roshaunda Carr shared her desire to start a nonprofit after her daughter, Jakayla Gardner Carr.
The family is still seeking volunteers to help bring the nonprofit to life.
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