Choosing the perfect dress and meeting old friends make school homecoming events exciting for lots of young ladies.
For 17-year-old Sara Kate, this homecoming was exceptional. She became the queen at Southside High School in Alabama.
Even though Brett battled cancer for seven years, he had the special moment of walking his daughter across the football field to crown her as the homecoming queen.
The bright teenager had a special moment recently. She walked with her dad, who has esophageal cancer, to get her crown and flowers on the school’s football field.
Her determined father, aged 47, was diagnosed with cancer seven years ago. Normally, even a short walk from his bed to the bathroom is tough for him. Because of this, Sara Kate’s family was concerned that Brett might struggle to walk the 50-yard (or 45-meter) distance 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.
Luckily, the evening left a lasting impression for all the positive reasons.
Carrie, married to Brett for a quarter-century, observed from the stands as her daughter and husband shared a warm embrace. This heartfelt moment quickly 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
Brett has been feeling weak lately, so he has to bring along some oxygen when he goes for a walk.
She mentioned that she proposed that Brett use a golf cart for the homecoming event. However, he was determined to walk alongside Sara Kate, so he declined the idea, insisting on being by her side.
“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”
Because Brett has to travel a lot for his medical treatment, the couple has not been able to attend many important events in their three daughters’ lives. “We missed a lot of our girls’ high school sports and activities, but they have kept the faith,” the wife said.
The couple has shown their gratitude towards their “community, friends, and family” for constantly supporting Brett and keeping him in their prayers.
The family’s wish is for Brett’s legacy to be one of “hope, courage, strength, and faith”
Even though the ex-high school football coach can’t always join in every event, his love for his daughters is evident.
“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 sincere hope, along with her daughters, is that Brett’s lasting impact will be one of “hope, courage, strength and faith.”