Father watches son graduate in special hospital ceremony days before he dies

HAMILTON, Ind. (WPTA/Gray News) - A father in Indiana was able to watch his child graduate from high school in a special hospital ceremony days before he died.

Braden Case said his journey to getting his high school diploma wasn’t easy, but he survived with the help of his biggest supporter: his dad, Brad.

Braden said his dad was always there for his big moments, but esophageal cancer led to Brad being put into hospice care. But that didn’t stop some people from making sure Brad saw his son graduate.

“It was a really big surprise to see that even the nurses did just the decorating and everything to just try to make it feel a little more, or a little bit less like a hospital room, and a little bit more like a celebration,” he said.

Along with the nurses, Braden’s principal showed up for the impromptu ceremony.

“I just kind of stuck my diploma in his hands,” Braden said. “In remembrance of him, I put the hospice sticker on the back of my diploma.”

Brad’s wife, Faye, said he died peacefully two days after the hospital graduation, and just over an hour before Braden walked the stage at his high school.

“It was literally an hour and a half later that we’re asking Braden to leave to walk across the stage for graduation,” she said.

And, when Braden took the stage, he was met with a big round of applause; a community, rallying behind a young boy who had just gone through the unthinkable.

“Hearing the whole gym cheering him on was wonderful, in the same breath, you know, emotional, how one young man can watch such a hard moment and then be brave enough to take his first big step on the first big moment of his life that he’s, he’s going to have to continue to do those memorable moments without his dad,” Faye said.

Braden’s younger sister, Sophia, will also have to experience these moments without her dad, but she said she’s inspired by her dad’s humor and big heart to carry her through such a difficult time.

“I want to be just as kind as he was because he helped everyone,” she said. “I want to make sure I help people in the way he did.”

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