A young woman in Texas who doctors said had a two percent chance to survive at birth was killed in a car crash on the way to her new summer job.
Makynna Tumlinson, 18, died in a car crash on Highway 11 while she was on her way to start a summer job on June 3.
Stephanie Tumlinson, her mother, told KXII that she and her daughter spoke just before she left for the day. Her father, Tommy, then drove to the scene after seeing her location was near the crash site.
“From that point on, we were just panicking, you know, hoping that they got something wrong, you know?” the mother said, who received the tragic news after the father’s journey.
When she was born, Tumlinson was given a two percent chance of survival. Doctors predicted she would be stillborn, but “she beat those odds,” her mother said.
Texas Department of Public Safety officials said Tumlinson was driving north on Highway 11 in a Chevy Cruz when she lost control and rear-ended a commercial truck, CBS News reports.
The driver of the truck, Hector Ivan Meja Garcia, 37, was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries, DPS officials said.
Though she only had a short 18 years, her family said she lived them to her fullest. Tumlinson was a cheerleader at Tom Bean High School, became the student council president, and was even named as her school’s prom queen, KXII reports.
She didn’t stop at just racking up accolades. According to Tumlinson’s mother, other parents from the school called her after learning of the devastating accident to tell her that their children had been bullied until they became friends with Tumlinson.
“I had moms reaching out to me that I didn’t even know, saying that their kid was bullied until they met Makynna. I had always brought her up that way. Everybody has a story. You may not know their story, but you cannot judge a book by its cover,” Tumlinson’s mother said.
She added: “She had a nickname Sunshine because she brightened everybody’s day.”
Tom Bean High School held a remembrance event for Tumlinson the day after she died, and posted a message acknowledging her death on Facebook.
“Our hearts are broken by the tragic loss of our beloved student Makynna Tumlinson,” the school wrote.
The school’s summer programming was cancelled on June 9 to allow participants to attend Tumlinson’s funeral.
Community members have also turned the senior’s parking spot at the school into a makeshift memorial to honor her.
Tumlinson’s family posted their own Facebook post thanking the Tom Bean community for all of their support.
“From texting, calling, all the hugs, contributions, food, supplies, prayers, just everything, it just shows the heart that this community has,” they wrote. “No words will ever really show how much we appreciate each and every one of you.”
Despite the outpouring of support, no amount of well wishes can blunt the pain her family must endure as they grieve.
“Nobody should have to bury their children. It’s the hardest part. You know, I keep thinking it’s a nightmare that I’m going to wake up from and that she’s going to walk in the door,” Tumlinson’s mother said.
