“I didn’t expect everyone on the stage to cry.”
For 18-year-old Zoey Ngu, walking across the graduation stage wasn’t just a rite of passage, it was the culmination of years of determination, grit, and love.
Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare condition often called “brittle bone disease,” Zoey’s bones are so fragile they’ve been compared to glass. “When she first came out of the hospital, I was so scared to hold her,” her mom recalled. “We held her on a pillow for at least the first month because we just didn’t know how brittle she was.”
But fragile doesn’t mean weak.
From a young age, Zoey dreamed of doing what most graduates take for granted: walking across the stage to receive her diploma. “I’ve been working to walk across the stage for six years,” she shared. “I’ve always had the goal of walking across the stage for graduation.”
Though she often uses a wheelchair, Zoey dedicated herself to physical therapy every Thursday, steadily building the endurance she’d need to walk unaided. “My main goal was to walk across the stage, so [my physical therapist] helped me build more of my endurance and made sure I was able to do it without hesitation.”
She made the decision quietly, and boldly. When the moment came, the gym fell silent as she took step after step, slowly but surely.
“I didn’t expect everyone on the stage to cry,” Zoey said, “They have always seen me in my wheelchair and never actually got to see me walking before.”
She also gave credit to her favorite teacher, someone who’s stood by her throughout school, and, of course, her family. “My brother said he wanted to do the same thing, so I did,” she smiled. “My sister was cheering for me and I got really accomplished something.”
But the most powerful reaction may have come from her mom.
“It was just like a bittersweet moment that we made it to 18 years as an adult now. I am so, so, so proud of her,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Honestly, being such a good role model to her siblings and possibly other people out loud… if I did one thing right in my life, it was her.”
Zoey knows this is just the beginning.
“Even though it might take time, I still want to complete what I want to compete,” she said. “My goal is to finish college, of course—to be able to walk on that stage to earn my diploma then.”
She’s already done the impossible once. And something tells us, she’ll do it again.
