His son’s high school graduation was a day Alfred La’Cap had been looking forward to — and one he didn’t think he would get to see.
La’Cap, 69, has terminal prostate cancer with a dire prognosis: He’s unlikely to make it to May.
So administrators at Long Beach High School in Mississippi stepped in and held a graduation ceremony three months early.
“Considering the circumstances, I felt like if we can bring a little joy to a family, then we’re happy to do that,” Principal Larry Ramsey told CNN affiliate WLOX.
The ceremony, held over the weekend in the family driveway, was a small, bittersweet one.
La’Cap’s son, Noah, was dressed in a red cap and gown and sat next to his father. Someone played “Pomp and Circumstance” on a cellphone. Family members dabbed their eyes.
Noah La’Cap and his father
When the time came, Noah La’Cap tossed his mortar board and then placed it on his dad’s lap.
Read about how Noah stayed motivated to finish his education in the face of such hardship on CNN.