At just two years old Amari Williams received a grim prognosis. After developing encephalitis, doctors believed he would never walk or talk again.
But the North Carolina teen recently proved everyone wrong when he walked across the stage at his high school’s graduation.
Congratulations!
Tamara Williams said her first-born, Amari, lived a normal life for his first two years, but suddenly he began experiencing seizures and acting out. He also couldn’t eat or walk properly.
The toddler was diagnosed with encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain caused by an infection of immune response.
“All we knew to do was pray, hope and pray. So we were at Duke for about six weeks, you know, running the tests and everything. After we went to Duke, the doctors wanted us to go to Pitt Memorial Hospital in Greenville,” she said.
Tamara put her schooling on hold while Amari worked hard in rehab.
Eventually she saw her son making progress, and she realized her prayers had been answered.
“So many thoughts about how he wasn’t walking when he couldn’t walk, when he couldn’t talk, when he couldn’t eat or anything. And now he was this healthy, strong, young, African-American male graduating from high school. That was a huge accomplishment.”
Although the new high school graduate doesn’t remember his time in the hospital, he does remember the stories his mom would tell him about his recovery. And he knows just how much of an accomplishment it is for him to graduate.
After graduation Amari plans to go into a trade like carpentry or construction.
Congratulations, Amari! Way to prove all the naysayers wrong.
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