(WXYZ) — Robert DeDecker defied the odds.
Watch Christiana Ford's video report:
DeDecker, who goes by Bobby, was born with a rare brain condition and was told he would never walk, talk or attend mainstream school, let alone graduate from college. On Thursday, he walked across the stage at Madonna University in Livonia and received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a 3.08 GPA.
"He's come so far, this is like a final step," his mother, Robin Jankowski-DeDecker, said.
Bobby was diagnosed with Hemimegaloencephaly, a condition in which one side of the brain overgrows the other, causing seizures. At one point, his mother said he was having 50 to 75 seizures a day.
Doctors told the family Bobby may never walk, talk or attend mainstream school.
"Even in elementary school, you know, put him in the special classes, he's never going to be able to go to normal classes. Put him in the special program, he'll get a certificate," Jankowski-DeDecker said.
Jankowski-Decker never listened, pushing to have him attend standard schooling.
Bobby lived on his own while attending classes on campus, relying on tutors, long hours of studying and support from Madonna University's TRIO Student Support Services program to reach graduation.
"There are two categories, like people who have to work and people who just have to do the homework. Like I'm on this one because of my disability," Bobby said.
His perseverance left an impression on those around him.
"The lessons that we can all learn from Bobby, always a smile, always in a good mood, always making our days brighter, always an inspiration," Marius Sidau, Assistant Director of TRIO SSS, said.
Sidau says he attended every TRIO event.
Bobby said the journey was not without its challenges, but the doubters only pushed him further.
"People have a number for your intelligence thing and they weren't expecting me to graduate in high school and like they were so surprised and then to go onwards," Bobby said.
His mother said she could not be prouder.
"He's overcome so much and I'm so proud of him," Jankowski-DeDecker said.
Now a college graduate, Bobby is looking for a job and hopes to work with a camera. He loved his production and editing courses in school.
He has a message for anyone who has ever been counted out.
"Don't give up," Bobby said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
