A loving son made his ALS-suffering mom’s final wish come true, by wheeling her onto the dance floor at his wedding and lifting her up for an emotional mother-son dance.
Terri Hightower’s dream had always been to attend her son Scooter’s wedding in Arrington, Tennessee, on October 9.
And having made it to the ceremony, Terri soon found out her son had a treat in store for her.
With friends and family gathered around the dance floor, Scooter and his family wheeled his mother’s wheelchair into the middle of the room.
Terri, 57, had been diagnosed with the degenerative disease ALS – also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – in December 2019.
With her health failing, by the summer of 2020, she could no longer walk.
As around 150 guests watched on, Scooter cued the music and lifted his mom into his arms, moving her gently and weeping on her shoulder.
The moment was captured on video by the wedding’s videographer, Neil Fox, and around the room, there was not a dry eye in the house – including Scooter’s wife, Afton, 25, who had helped with the surprise.
Ten days after the ceremony, Terri passed away surrounded by her friends and family after losing her battle with ALS.
Hoping to raise awareness for ALS, the family asked Neil to share the video on his Facebook page. The post has since been viewed nearly 10 million times.
Afton, from Clarksville, Tennessee, said of the response to the video: “We are amazed!
“We can’t believe how much of an impact it is making around the world.
“It is so amazing how many – hundreds, thousands even – have reached out to us showing their love and sympathy.
“Terri felt every emotion possible.
“It was a very bittersweet moment, knowing that was her goal and knowing how much it meant to her and Scooter.
“We hope this video can bring more awareness to ALS.”
Story courtesy of MNF Productions via T&T Creative Media