A father smiled at his daughter as they locked arms on the football field at Lewisburg High School for the homecoming celebration on Friday night, Oct. 13, in Mississippi. 

They walked through the outstretched flags of the color guard, smiled for pictures and responded to the cheers from the home fans, just as thousands of others will do this fall under the lights. 

But this escort was different.

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Because this father, Mic Hensley, has stage 4 lymphoma. And this daughter, Harlee Hensley, was never assured her father would be a part of such a special night. 

The story about how this wonderful moment happened involves hope, prayer, mystery — and a high school classmate who is battling the same disease.

A cancer diagnosis

Around October 2022, Mic Hensley began to have trouble breathing and swallowing. After numerous trips to the doctor’s office, the reason for those problems was originally misdiagnosed. He spent six-hour days on an IV in his own home, so sick he could hardly get around the house.

When he failed to feel any better, the Hensley family decided to seek a second opinion. They traveled to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville in June. They were the bearers of bad news.

Mic was officially diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system of the body involving immune cells. On the horizon was extensive chemotherapy.

For everyone, especially his two girls — Harlee, 17, and Lexie, 21 — it was a difficult reality to come to grips with.

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“It’s been hard on the whole family,” said Sheri Hensley, Mic’s wife and the mother of Harlee and Lexie. “I think the response was for everyone to do their part to make sure that we take care of him the best that we can.”

Harlee called those moments “bumpy patches.” But really, they were a rallying point for the family and friends as a whole. 

Friends and neighbors have helped cut the grass in the front and backyards. His daughters and wife do as much as they can around the house. 

Mic joked that he feels like he has three nurses living with him. He knows the feeling. He has spent weeks living in hospitals over the last two years. It is more than anyone would want to spend.

“I have a new perspective on this disease, on cancer, but also the challenges of being in a hospital,” he said. “It’s a lot tougher than I ever thought to be in there every single day for weeks. I absolutely have a new perspective on the struggle to beat cancer, and just for people that spend extended time in a hospital. It’s a lot rougher than I thought.”

His most challenging days are the most challenging for the family. So his best days, like Friday, mean so much more.

The big surprise

Mic’s escort of his daughter in the homecoming ceremony is a moment they have been waiting a month to do together.

The day Harlee found out she would be representing the junior class, she raced to buy a poster board and markers after school before heading to soccer.

“She wanted to make it a surprise for him,” Sheri Hensley said. “… I had to keep it from him for the rest of the night. Lexie wanted to be a part of it, but she was at the Memphis Tigers game. So we tried to hold out for her, but everyone started texting to congratulate Harlee. I was like, ‘Oh no! Don’t text Mic’s phone!’ I was trying to monitor his phone.

“Finally, I told Lexie, ‘She’s going to have to do it because now it’s all over Instagram stories.’ I just didn’t want to risk him finding out that way without her getting a chance to ask him.”

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Sheri helped Harlee come up with what to say. When she got home, the surprise went flawlessly.

“There were a lot of tears,” Sheri said. “He was excited. He realized I had been talking about it all night without telling him. But there was some worry, you know, because we live day-to-day with him being on chemo. We never know what the next day is going to bring with problems or issues that he might have because of that.”

Worry, of course, is something that the entire family has learned to manage since January of last year. Harlee feels fortunate to have close friend Talon Haley, a classmate at Lewisburg High School, to lean on.

Haley, a Vanderbilt baseball commit, was diagnosed with lymphoma in March 2022 and put in remission in November of the same year. He understands Mic’s struggle and has tried his best to help Harlee through the process.

“I’ve told her that throughout my experience, there is no doubt that God was in it,” Haley said. “There’s no other explanation for how I handled it. The way that he is handling it now, God is in this.”

Before the homecoming ceremony at the football game on Friday, the school held a pep rally for the football team and students on the homecoming ballot. Homecoming honorees are expected to pick a classmate to escort them during the school day.

Harlee, knowing all that Haley has meant to her through the process, chose him.

“It was definitely a special moment,” Haley said. “When I heard the news her dad was diagnosed with the same thing I went through, we immediately just felt so connected. I felt like it was my duty to be there for her. To get to do that meant a lot to me.”

A moment to remember

Mic is now through six rounds of chemotherapy. On his last scan, the cancer was almost clear, according to his wife. He has four more to go.

It has been a slow return to normalcy. Recently, he’s been able to attend Harlee’s Lewisburg soccer games. That has been a joy for them both.

“Kids are so resilient, and (Harlee) is absolutely one of the most resilient kids I have ever coached,” Scotti Miles, Harlee’s soccer coach, said. “Even on the field, we talked a lot with her last year about her role, and her role has changed every year. No matter what we have asked her to do, she did it. So, the resiliency in her is crazy. I wish I had it. I wish I had just a little bit of it. I’m very proud of her.”

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Miles was standing on the sideline watching on when Harlee walked with her dad in the ceremony on Friday night. Sheri and Lexie Hensley cheered loudly with the rest of the crowd from the stands.

“That was fantastic,” Mic said as soon as the ceremony cleared out. “That was a really special moment for me and my daughter, especially for her. For me to get that chance to escort her was fantastic.”

When they reached the sidelines, a swarm of family and friends, including some who traveled from Florida to be there, rushed over with congratulations.

Mic had the smile of a proud father. He wanted the moment to be about his daughter.

But all Harlee wanted was to share the spotlight with him. It was as special as she imagined it would be.

“It was surreal,” Harlee said. “I never thought that my dad would be able to do that. For him to walk with me and be so strong, it was really heartwarming.

“We are so proud of him. He’s been very strong through it all, but we have all been there together. We want to make sure every moment counts.”