While graduating from college is a significant accomplishment for anyone, Nekhidia Harris has a little extra to celebrate.
Doctors gave Harris’ only three days to live at birth.
Those three days came and went. Then a number of weeks. Doctors reluctantly released Nekhidia to her parents but warned that she wouldn’t live much longer.
“The doctors told my parents that I wouldn’t be able to write, walk, read and other motor skills,” Harris, now 25, told InsideEdition.com.
Harris has a disease that causes her bones to break very easily. Unfortunately, this has caused her to break many bones in her young life and has led to a number of surgeries.
Defying all the odds
Harris hasn’t let her disease keep her from pursuing her dreams. Even though she stands at just 3 feet tall, Harris was able to graduate from Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn with a bachelor’s degree in social work.
“I was excited and then I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t want to cry,'” she said, remembering the moment she made her way across the graduation stage. “They were tears of joy that I really got to this moment.”
Naturally, she’ll be continuing on to receive her master’s degree in social work as well.
“I was excited and then I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t want to cry,'” she said of the moment she accepted her diploma. “They were tears of joy that I really got to this moment.”
In addition to pursuing her own education, she also helps others find a way to graduate college via her family’s non-profit, The Harris Family Vision Foundation. Harris strongly believes that all people should give to charity, regardless of ability.
“Don’t let anybody stop you from achieving your dreams,” Harris said. “If you want to give back, give back a little bit even if it’s a prayer. Or donate to an organization even if you don’t have the funds to go all over the place. Find an organization and do that. Don’t let anything stop you.”
