Dedication: Mia and Mallory Stokes
In Charlotte, North Carolina on February 25, 2001, Holly and Eric Stokes welcomed identical twins Mia and Mallory into their family. The girls were separated by six minutes during birth. That was their only separation. They shared a bond as twins that only a fraction of humans can understand. The girls were inseparable. They chose to attend the University of South Carolina Union and both made the softball team. This was a shared childhood dream come true for them. The girl’s freshman year was proving to be all they had hoped. Although being an hour- and-a-half apart was difficult for the close-knit family, the girls were spreading their wings and learning how to fly. They shared a small apartment, made new friends, had a few scrimmages together, and made the President’s and the Dean’s List their first semester. Holly and Eric could not have been prouder of the accomplishments of their three amazing children. After spending a peaceful Christmas with their family, the girls returned to school and softball. Opening weekend for their USC Union Softball team was in Clearwater, Florida. Their brother Matt opened his UMO Baseball season nearby in Tampa, Florida. Holly and Eric had the time of their lives dividing their time between their daughters and son. As parents, they were living their own dream, watching their children find their way in this world while playing sports that fed their souls. The family had no idea that the dream they were all living in would turn into a nightmare just two-and-a-half weeks before the girls’ 19th birthday. On the evening of February 7, 2020, the girls and two teammates went to Academy Sports to buy long-sleeved shirts to wear under their jerseys for the game the next day. The girls left the store and seven minutes later, Mia and their friend Grace were gone. They were hit head-on by a drunk driver with a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of .15 driving 30 miles over the speed limit. The grief that enveloped the Stokes family was all-consuming. Mallory’s identity is forever entwined with her identical twin sister Mia. It was that bond and her family’s need for the world to know Mia that the Mia Stokes Foundation was founded. Mia always kept a notebook with her Bible. In that notebook, she wrote her thoughts from her pastor’s sermons, lessons gleaned from her studies, and her own reminders to
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator