Son Took Care of His Sick Mom since He Was 12 – He Fulfills Her Dying Wish Just before She Passes Away

An 18-year-old high school student spent the last six years of his life caring for his terminally ill mother while completing his studies. Just before his mom passed on, the boy granted her final wish.

Caleb Woodrum spent the last six years of his life caring for his terminally ill mother. The 18-year-old high school senior at Blanchard High School in Oklahoma had been helping his mom, Stacie Scyrkels, look after herself, making sure she attended her regularly scheduled doctor’s appointments and pitching in wherever else he could.

Good Morning America reported that Scyrkels suffered from an atrial septal defect, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although Woodrum was looking after his mom, he had no idea how severe her illness was, and the young man stated that she kept her condition under wraps for her children’s sake.

On March 27, Woodrum phoned the hospital, finally speaking to someone who filled him in on the true extent of his mother’s deterioration. Woordum noted, “She didn’t really tell anyone.” The news came as a shock but made the final days Woodrum and his three older brothers had with Scyrkels that much more special. And thanks to a nurse, it would be a time with many positive connotations.

Together, the two confidantes set about making Scyrkels’s last days as memorable and happy as possible.

Scyrkels spent most of her last days bedridden in a hospital, and here she became close with her nursing staff. Her respiratory therapist, Kati Crouch, spent some time probing her patient on how she wanted to spend her remaining days, which is how Crouch discovered Scyrkels’s last wish. And Crouch was going to make it happen.

After hearing Scyrkel say she wanted to keep hanging on until she could see her youngest son graduate high school, Crouch jumped into action. Scyrkels spent her last day surrounded by her loved ones, clutching her youngest’s hand. One of the attendees commented, “There wasn’t a dry eye in that room.”

Scyrkels’s Last Wish

When Crouch contacted another nurse at Integris Health Southwest Medical Center, the hospital where Scyrkel spent her last days, the respiratory therapist already had a plan in mind. Crouch contacted Christina Hopkins about the dying mother’s last request, and Hopkins instantly agreed.

Woodrum commented that the occasion was something he had never envisioned before but that he was grateful he had the chance to share the moment with his mother.

Together, the two confidantes set about making Scyrkels’s last days as memorable and happy as possible. Hopkins recalled Crouch filling her in on what she was planning and shared, “I said, ‘OK,’ and I absolutely ran with it immediately.” The nurse took to Facebook, asking everyone she knew to donate graduation decorations.

The Integris staff gathered enough food and decorations to make the event happen by the very next day. They also contacted Greg Jackson, the principal of Blanchard High School, where Woodrum was enrolled. Jackson was more than willing to accommodate his student and help out the hospital staff.

Initially, Jackson and the rest of his administrative staff thought the hospital planned to hold the impromptu graduation ceremony a few weeks later. When the Integris team made it clear that they wanted to make it happen by the next day, the reality dawned on the people at Blanchard High.

They set things in motion on their end, acquiring all the paraphernalia necessary for a graduation, including a cap and gown. By Tuesday, March 28, the school staff was at the hospital and ready to send Woodrum out into the world as a graduate. All they needed now was Woodrum himself.

By noon, everyone was present. Woodrum had arrived and was wearing his maroon graduation cap and gown. The hospital lobby had been decorated with an enormous sign that read, “Congrats Grad!” and two rows of flags spelling out “Congratulations Class of 2023” hung on the admin desk.

Woodrum’s family and the few other guests present gathered in Scyrkels’s hospital room while the early graduate walked in. They did the graduation ceremony right there while the mother-of-four looked on from her hospital bed. Woodrum clutched his mother’s hand during the entire ceremony, and they shared a heartrending hug by the end of it. Hopkins recalled:

“The hug that she gave her son took a lot out of her. But she did it and she persevered because that’s what she wanted. You can see the love pouring out of her in that moment.”

Woodrum commented that the occasion was something he had never envisioned before but that he was grateful he had the chance to share the moment with his mother. The mother and son posed for a photo, Woodrum in his graduation garb, clutching his certificate in one hand and his mother in the other.

After Jackson declared Woodrum a successful graduate, the guests brought in a vase with flowers and handed Woodrum a small packet. Woodrum opened the box, reading the inscription on the gift he had gotten his mom in honor of her birthday the next day.

Woodrum read out loud, “Mom, I’m grateful to have you as my mom. Love you gradually, Caleb.” The newly graduated Woodrum removed a bracelet from the box and attached it to his mother’s wrist while the guests looked on respectfully.

Hopkins opened up about the event, noting that she was bursting with pride when she saw Woodrum receive the honors he so deserved, having passed high school while looking out for his mom. Jackson was glad he and the rest of the people involved had managed to pull something off that would stick in the young man’s memory for the rest of his life.

The next day, Wednesday, March 29, on Scyrkels’s 57th birthday, the mother-of-four passed away at 9:45 a.m. Woodrum shared that his mother left him with a heartfelt parting message. The young man revealed, “[My mom] told me she loves me and never to forget it. And I told her I will not.”