Teen with terminal cancer gets his own high school graduation ceremony

An Arkansas teen achieved a major life milestone when he graduated from high school early in a ceremony just for him.

Adam Wright, 18, recently entered hospice care for his osteosarcoma, a rare cancer that originates in bone cells. With time running short, Wright was able to celebrate his graduation with friends and family, reported Fayetteville news station KNWA.

Sadly, this isn’t Wright’s first encounter with cancer. When he was just 4 years old, Wright was diagnosed with soft-tissue cancer, another rare form of the disease. He lived cancer-free for years after treatment.

But then Wright’s twin brother, Tim, died of a blood cell cancer in August 2020, just a few months before Wright was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.

“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, is say goodbye to my twin brother,” Wright told KNWA in early November. “He’s my best friend and he always will be.”

The Wrights’ mom, Tammie, told KNWA that the twins carry Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a genetic condition that increases the likelihood of cancer.

Chelsea Helms, an anchor at the station, was at Adam Wright’s Nov. 18 graduation. Here’s a quick clip of  Adam adjusting his cap on his way into the celebration:

Like most high school seniors, he says in the video that he felt like the day would never come — but also like it went fast!

Wright shed a few tears as he accepted his Rogers High School diploma in a room full of well-wishers, then stood to give a speech.

One of Wright’s pals, Chris Garcia, told KNWA, “He pushed himself harder than anybody I’ve ever known. He’s really strong.”

“I was getting nervous, you know, like, ‘This many people came? For me?’” Wright said. “It really meant a lot. It can really show you that one person can make a change and can make something negative a positive.”