A picture worth a million words: Son, ailing dad celebrate graduation in viral photo
When Esro Garcia Mendez walked across the stage at Palm Beach Lakes High School's graduation ceremony, he became the first person in his family to earn a diploma. But in the joy of the moment, he couldn't help but notice an empty seat in the crowd.
He spotted his mother, his aunt and his cousin, but not his dad, Ramiro Lopez Perez. He had been rushed to HCA Florida Palms West Hospital days before after a bout of high blood pressure that caused kidney failure and made his body weak.
Once the ceremony ended, instead of going to celebrate with friends, Esro asked his mom to drive west down Southern Boulevard to the hospital near Royal Palm Beach.
Lopez was speechless when he saw Esro walk in wearing his red cap and gown and his diploma in hand. Tears rolled down his cheeks and Esro took off the red cap and placed it on his dad's head.
"He cried and felt very emotional just seeing me with my cap and gown," said Esro, whose family lives in Loxahatchee. "It is a big accomplishment and I got to see my parents really happy because I finished something they couldn't."
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The staff at HCA Palms West captured the moment in a photo that went viral last week, getting over 7,000 views on Facebook and hundreds of comments praising Esro.
"I was surprised. I never thought it would be viral,' said Esro, who was overwhelmed with gratitude by the heartwarming messages from strangers. 'I was just there feeling the moment with my parents when I graduated."
The son of Guatemalan immigrants, Esro is the first his family to be born in the United States. Ever since he was a child, his parents stressed the importance of education and completing a high school degree.
While other classmates got to miss school some days, Esro's parents made sure he woke up on time in the morning, had his homework up to date and supported him when he enrolled in JROTC during junior year.
While the name of his classmates got called out during the ceremony, Esro said he could only think about this dad.
'How is my dad? How is he doing? Will he be OK?" Esro said, recalling the thoughts looping in his head.
Being an only child, Esro's graduation marked an important milestone for the entire family. His mother, Rosa Maria Padrino Mendez, couldn't help but wave excitedly and cry when she saw him receive his diploma and get recognized for his 4.0 GPA.
'I just wanted to share the moment with my family, especially my dad," Esro said. "I wanted to feel that special moment with him.'
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Now Esro plans to be the first in his family to enroll in the U.S. military. His mother was worried at first but, she now has given Esro her blessing.
Esro hopes his story inspires other first-generation students to finish high school and feel pride in their family.
'I know some classes are hard but continue to push forward and make your parents proud, they always want you to accomplish something grater," Esro said. "But also for yourself so you have something great to look forward to after high school.'
Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Son, sick dad celebrate Palm Beach Lakes graduation in viral photo
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