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William Holden is 18 years old and was critically injured in a car wreck weeks before graduation. He missed the ceremony in June.
"My arms were stuck and I couldn't move them," Holden said. "I broke a couple ribs, fractured some of my skull and had a bad brain injury."
It left him unconscious for weeks in the ICU. He had his mother and family by his bedside every day singing Bible scriptures.
"While I was singing it to him, he actually moved his head and looked at each and squeezed my hand," said his mom, Wendolyn Bolick.
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Graduation came and went. Cape Fear High School allowed his brother to accept his diploma while he recovered.
The road to recovery has been a long one. Holden has had to learn how to walk again.
Once he was well enough to go home, he visited his principal who asked if he wanted a graduation ceremony. Last Friday, it happened in front of family and friends.
"I was just glad to finally graduate by myself," Holden said.