Bailey Sellers, of Maryville, said her dad passed away from cancer when she was 16. Before he died he arranged to send her a birthday card and flowers every year until she turned 21.
Bailey recently received her last letter and flowers from her father.
"'This is my last love letter to you, until we meet again. I don't want you to shed another tear for me,'” she read.
They were words from a father to his daughter.
"'You are, and will always be, my most precious jewel I was ever given.' That's my favorite,” she continued from the letter.
My dad passed away when I was 16 from cancer and before he died he pre payed flowers so i could receive them every year on my birthday. Well this is my 21st birthday flowers and the last. Miss you so much daddy. 💜 pic.twitter.com/vSafKyB2uO
— Bailey Sellers (@SellersBailey) November 24, 2017
Bailey has already read the card many times. She said it’s bittersweet because it’s the last one she’ll get.
"I did not know that I was gonna get this,” Bailey said. “The day of my 17th birthday, I got the biggest flowers, and I had no idea who they were from. It had a card in it, and it said, 'From here on out you'll receive these until your 21st birthday.'"
When Bailey’s dad, Mike, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, her world changed.
"I dropped out of high school and became home schooled so that I could help take care of him, so that my mom could work to take care of us,” Bailey said.
He died the month before her 17th birthday. That’s when the flowers and notes started.
One every year — pre-arranged through a flower shop — until she turned 21. This year, the note was longer: a reminder they’d meet again.
"When I opened this card, I especially felt him with me,” Bailey said. “It's a cold feeling, then a happy feeling at the same time."
Sweet, caring, a fan of all things UT — those are ways Bailey described her dad. With this card, his words didn’t just reach her.
"He would be so proud that he did this,” said Bailey. “He made people happy. He made people realize that they shouldn't take parents or people they care about for granted."
At 21, she’s studying psychology at East Tennessee State University. She said she wants to help others who struggle after losing a loved one like she did. Something that would make her dad smile.
