Fayetteville teen critically injured in wreck gets his own graduation ceremony

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A Cumberland County teen has fulfilled a dream he never thought would happen.

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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.

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.