JMB graduate honors her late godmother, her 'second mother,' with personalized prom dress
Prom — a night of fashion, fanfare and, for some, remembrance.
Here's how one recent graduate from James M. Bennett High School paid tribute to an inspiring figure in her life through the creation of a prom dress.
A prom dress made to honor an important figure in one girl's life
It was at the young age of 12 when Ny' Ashia Freeman of Quantico, Maryland, lost her godmother, Dina Williams Holden. Now, seven years later, Freeman has made it her mission to honor Dina's life.
"She was like a second mother to me, and there every step of the way," said Freeman, 19.
"It was just something different," she said of the personalized prom dress made in honor of her late godmother. "I just wanted to carry her with me through this journey, my whole senior year."
Freeman's prom dress, which features Dina's image on the backside, was made by Atlanta Metropolitan Area fashion designer Charlie Hill. Freeman had the honor of sharing the origin behind the unique design to many peers and educators throughout prom night.
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Godmother was an inspiring figure during rough pre-teen years
Freeman can recall going through a notable rough patch during her early pre-teens. Around that time, Dina encouraged Freeman to be good, do good and avoid straying too far from the right path.
"I overcame that for her," said Freeman.
Then, in 2017, she and her family faced a great loss when Dina perished unexpectedly during childbirth.
"Dina wasn't sick when she went into the hospital, but we knew the baby would be stillborn," said Freeman's god-grandmother and Dina's mother, Deborah Williams. "What we didn't know was that we wouldn't be coming home with her. So, that was really hard."
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Maternal mortality rates in 2017
Dina faced two days of prolonged labor at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Ultimately, a blood clot, or pulmonary embolism (PE), was determined as the cause of death.
Approximately 295,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2017. Most of these deaths (94%) could have been prevented, as the vast majority occurred in low-resource settings, reported the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Most complications develop during pregnancy, while others may exist before and are later worsened during pregnancy. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the major complications that account for nearly 75% of all maternal deaths are:
severe bleeding (mostly bleeding after childbirth);
infections (usually after childbirth);
high blood pressure during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia);
complications from delivery;
unsafe abortion.
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Family honors beloved woman's memory with T-shirts
"Dina was an amazing person, and always a giver," said Williams, 68. "She was my spirited child."
Dina's family had shirts made in her honor nearly a year after she passed. The shirts read, "I am watching over you" on the front, "I love you from Heaven to Earth" on the back, and feature Dina's favorite animal, an owl, and color, purple.
Freeman believes she has adopted some of Dina's traits, such as her attitude, she shared with a laugh.
"She was very bossy. Whatever she said, goes," said Freeman. "She was always funny, outgoing, laughing."
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Prom dress will be handed down as inspiration for future generations
Family means everything to Freeman. One day, she plans to pass on her personalized prom dress to her much younger relatives, so that Dina's memory may carry on.
If Dina could see her goddaughter today, Freeman believes she would be proud. The young graduate is currently in the process of joining the military, specifically the U.S. Navy.
"She would be very proud, right about now, of the path that I'm on," Freeman said.
"We're not going to let (Dina) go," said Williams. "She's up in Heaven clapping her hands, saying, 'Way to go, Ny'."
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Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Prom dress becomes tribute to late godmother for JMB graduate
