Katherine Jackson’s Aaron Dunigan died in a car crash the night of his prom.
Wednesday, Jackson attended her son’s high school graduation, wearing his cap and gown and walked across the stage in his behalf.
“[My son] knows his mom never walked the stage,” she said. “I’m going to be his legs and he’s going to be my wings and we’re going to go up there and get our diploma.”
Dunigan, an 18-year-old quarterback who was getting ready to play for Southern Illinois University when he began college in the fall, was killed on his prom night when the car he was riding in crossed the medium and crashed into another car.
Watch a full report on the inspirational moment below:
The accident also killed the driver of the other car, 56-year-old Metra employee Juan Rivera, on the way to work.
Mike Crowter, who was also in the car, was badly injured and attended graduation in a wheelchair.
David Peden, the driver, was charged with both DUI causing death and reckless homicide with a motor vehicle.
“This has to be a moment of celebration and learning,” Thornton Fractional North High School’s superintendent Creg Williams said during an event honoring Dunigan’s memory. “Let their incident not be in vain. Be safe.”