KERR COUNTY, Texas – The mother of Camp Mystic camper Blakely McCrory shared letters that her daughter sent before the fatal Hill Country Floods.
Lindsey McLeod McCrory said she’d told her 8-year-old daughter that she’d get a toy if she sent letters during her time at camp.
“Hi from camp, dear mom, how are you? I’m good,” Blakeley’s first letter said. “Camp is amazing. Today, I will do tennis. Tomorrow, I will horseback ride. I’m excited about land sports.”
Her mother said the letters came as a relief after the devastating Fourth of July weekend.
“It’s just funny how a little girl’s mind works. And that’s why I laughed when I got the letter because I could just hear her writing her thoughts down,” Lindsey told CNN. “It was just funny. It was so Blakely.”
Earlier this year, Lindsey lost both her husband and brother before her daughter.
“I think that prepared me for Blakely’s loss,” she said. “I’m coping very well. I have amazing love and support from people I know, people I don’t know.”
Lindsey said that Camp Mystic, a camp she herself attended growing up, was a good place for Blakely to “just heal” after her father’s death.
“She just couldn’t wait,” Lindsey said. “She was so excited, and it came at such a good time since she lost her daddy.”
Lindsey was in Europe at the time of the floods and received texts about the evacuation, but was not aware of how severe the damage had been.
After receiving a text that Blakely’s cabinmate was missing, Lindsey got the call about her daughter from a counselor.
“The counselor said that Blakely was encouraging her cabinmates not to be afraid,” she said. “She was always a leader, encouraging others.”
Lindsey said a necklace she gifted her daughter before she left for camp helped others identify her after the floods.
“My good friends from high school had (the necklace) extended so that I could wear it,” Lindsey said. “So, I would have a touchstone close to my heart.”
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