Andrea Bryant's son, Michael Elliott, was 33 when he died in March. “This will be my first time walking, but I really feel I need to do it for the spiritual aspect,” she says.
Michael had a troubled adulthood, and while she never wavered in her love for him, Bryant holds on to the boy she raised.
“The Michael I loved was such a cheery, curly-haired redhead. A funny, sweet kid. He was the kid the teacher called you about. He was so funny, but he was so disruptive. He was a loyal, kind human. He loved animals. Michael grew up in Tucson, went to Catalina High School, was a football player, prom king. He had a really big heart and a really big soul. … He had a serious football injury when he was in high school. That’s where he got his first taste of legal dope, and really could never get it together after that. I’m very open about his story; we need to call it exactly what it is.”
She’ll walk the procession in costume, holding a large picture of Michael. “My whole thing is letting his spirit go.”
