“It’s been nothing but fear ever since I was a kid,” Central Michigan University senior Monique “Mo” Miller said.

 

Her mom, Denise, was diagnosed with kidney failure when she was eight years old. Ever since Mo’s lived with no knowledge of how long her best friend will live.

 

Originally from Chicago, Mo is among the first generation on her mom’s side working to obtain a college degree. Studying social work, she plans to graduate in December 2023. But Denise is currently in the end stages of hospice and Mo is unsure if her mom will make it to see her graduate.

 

“Getting my diploma, it means my mom’s getting her diploma too,” she said. “I’m doing this for all the generations before me that didn’t … but especially my mom.”

 

“For me to cross that stage, it’s like she’s crossing it with me,” she said.

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Story in progress