University of Houston brings graduation to student in hospital

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Many Coogs walked across the stage Sunday, but one graduate wasn't able to make it.

When Gabriella Beckstrom-Bonnefil was diagnosed with a heart defect at age 13, she told her mother she wanted to live long enough to graduate from college.

Last August, Gabriella, now 24, received a heart transplant, but complications kept her from attending graduation ceremonies at the University of Houston.

On Saturday, Dr. Antonio D. Tillis, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, came to Houston Methodist Hospital to surprise Gabriela with her Bachelor of Science degree in economics, with a minor in Spanish. Her family was there to cheer her on.

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