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IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS, BUT FOR BONNIE MEHARRY OF MULGA, SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE IT JUST HAPPENED YESTERDAY. YOU HAVE GOOD DAYS AND YOU HAVE BAD DAYS. MOSTAMS BAD, BUT YOU JUST CARRY ON BARNEY’S OLDEST CHILD, NICOLE MIXON MIRRORED, HER MOM’S FIERCE PERSEVERANCE. SHE EARNED A FULL RIDE SCHOLARSHIP TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AND SHE HAD BIG DREAMS OF PURSUING A CAREER IN BUSINESS. A SMART GIRL WITH A BRIGHT FUTURE BUT ON APRIL 27TH, 2011 THAT ALL CHANGED WE WAS ON THE PHONE AND SHE TOLD ME THE STORM WAS REAL BAD. SHE SAID I’M GONNA GET IN THE BATHTUB I SAID, OKAY GET IN THE BATHTUB. SHE SAID I’LL YOU WANT IT’S OVER AND IT’S I NEVER HEARD AS THAT MASSIVE STORM MADE ITS WAY THROUGH TUSCALOOSA STATE BONNIE SAT AT HOME. WAITING TO HEAR FROM NICOLE BY 4 THE NEXT MORNING BONNIE LEFT HER HOME IN MULGA AND MADE HER WAY TO TUSCALOOSA. SHE’S STARTED AT NICOLE’S APARTMENT THEN DCA HOSPITAL THEN SHE ENDED UP IN THE LAST PLACE. SHE EVER WANTED TO BE THE MORGUE AT THE TUSCALOOSA-VA AND IDENTIFIED HER BODY. SHE HAD A TATTOO ON HER SHOULDER RIGHT UP HERE. AND THAT’S HOW WE IDENTIFY. I THINK I JUST WENT BLANK AND I JUST I WAS JUST SILENT. AND THEN I HAD TO DRIVE FROM TUSCALOOSA BACK HOME BECAUSE I WENT BY MYSELF. SO THE WHOLE WAY I JUST I DESCRIBED A DECADE LATER BONNIE STILL MISSES NICOLE EVERY DAY, BUT SHE TAKES JOY AND SEEING HER DAUGHTER’S LEGACY A LEGACY THAT LIVES ON YEAR AFTER YEAR THROUGH THE MELANIE NICOLE MIXON SCHOLARSHIP AND NOW IT’S A LEGACY THAT WILL FOREVER BE CEMENTED IN THE LIFE OF BONNIE’S NEW GRANDCHILD MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER BACK OCTOBER THE 8TH HAD A SON SHE NAMED HIM AFTER. LOUDER WILLIAM COLE. SHE TOOK THE COAL OUT OF NICOLE. SO THAT’S A BIG HONOR. HE’S TRYING TO WALK ALREADY. HE’S SIX MONTHS OLD. SO YES, SHE WALKED WHEN SHE WAS SEVEN MONTHS OLD TODAY BONNIE CHERISHES THE TIME SHE HAS WITH HER TWO OTHER DAUGHTERS AND TWO GRANDCHILDREN AND ONE THING SHE DOESN’T DO IS LIVE IN FEAR. I’M NOT SCARED OF TORNADOES ANYMORE. YOU KNOW USED TO I WAS TERRIFIED OF I’M NOT SCARED OF HIM ANYMORE THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS IF IT TAKES ME I’M WITH HER IF IT LEAVES ME HERE. I’M WITH MY OTHER GIRLS. SO IT’S A WIN-WIN EITHER WAY