From picking out the right dress to seeing old familiar faces, many young women look forward to their school’s homecoming celebrations.
Still, the ceremony was extra special for 17-year-old Sara Kate, crowned this year’s homecoming queen at Southside High School, Alabama.
Image credits: Carrie Yancey
Last month, the radiant teen had the honor of being escorted by her father, who has esophageal cancer, to receive her crown and flower bouquet on the school’s football field.
The tenacious 47-year-old was diagnosed with cancer seven years ago. Since walking from his bed to the bathroom usually presents a challenge for him, Sara Kate’s family worried Brett wouldn’t be able to make the 50-yard (or 45-meter) walk across the field with his daughter.
“He had struggled last week to even pick up his left leg, which is why escorting her across the field was a major ordeal,” Brett’s wife, Carrie Yancey, told People magazine.
“I could feel my heart beating out of my chest,” Brett’s wife, Carrie, said of the special moment
Image credits: Carrie Yancey
Image credits: Shelley Panzarella (not the actual photo)
Fortunately, the night was memorable for all the right reasons.
Carrie—who has been married to Brett for 25 years—watched from the bleachers as her daughter and her husband embraced, a tender moment that immediately brought tears to her eyes.
“Honestly, I could feel my heart beating out my chest,” she shared. “He was holding my daughter pretty tight, I just kept praying, ‘You can make it, you can make it.’”
Given Brett’s feeble condition, his wife feared that he wouldn’t be able to make the 50-yard walk across the field
Image credits: sarakateyancey
Brett has been really feeble recently, which is why he needs to carry oxygen with him to walk.
She explained she had suggested that Brett use a golf cart for the homecoming ceremony but, determined to accompany Sara Kate arm-in-arm, her husband refused.
“I don’t need a golf cart—I’m going to walk my baby to the opposite sideline,” he said.
And so he did. “I think it was a moment that many will never forget,” Carrie, an elementary school principal, described.
“Brett is so proud of what all our children stand for and the young ladies they’ve become”
Though the former high school football coach may not be able to be present at every activity, his feelings towards his daughters are crystal clear.
“Brett is so proud of what all of our children stand for and the young ladies they have become,” Carrie expressed.
“He’s a true warrior. The news we received at yesterday’s doctor’s visit was not good, but we are staying strong,” she told NBC affiliate WVTM-TV.
Her earnest wish, and that of her daughters, is that Brett’s legacy will be one of “hope, courage, strength and faith.”
