Share and Follow
Jenna Bush Hager could not hold back her tears on Today With Jenna & Friends as she once again watched her emotional interview with the parents of seven of the victims lost in Camp Mystic this July.
In the interview, the parents of victims Hadley, Cile, Mary, Molly, Virginia, Lila and Abby got the chance to remember the young ladies and the camp counselors who attempted to keep them safe when catastrophic flooding struck Texas in July, which claimed the lives of approximately 120 people, including 27 victims in Camp Mystic alone.
Amidst their grief, several of the families have been advocating for a new bill called “Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act,” which calls for new safety measures in Texas youth camps.
Bush Hager appeared on the verge of tears as she told her Today guest host Willie Geist that she was “so impressed” by what the parents have accomplished so far.
“I was so impressed with all of those beautiful parents who, like we said, have been advocating,” she said. “Last night, the law was passed by the state Senate and House and now it’ll be on Governor Abbott’s desk to be signed, presumably, on Friday.”
She told Geist, “The fact that they did that in two months in the depths of their pain shows us that change is possible. You can fight for what you think is important and for other kids.”
“They also said there were kids that lived and what they’re going through is horrible, too. And so they’re fighting for them as well,” she added.
Earlier in the broadcast, Bush Hager revealed she had attended the wedding of one of the couples who lost their daughter. She also shared that one of the victims’ fathers also attended college with her.
Geist praised Bush Hager, noting that her “personal connection” to the families “really came through.”
“You did a beautiful job and we’re thinking about those families always,” he said.
Bush Hager previously revealed that her own mother, former First Lady Laura Bush, was also a counselor at Camp Mystic.
“There is a camp that my mom actually was a counselor at called Camp Mystic which many of my friends went to. It sort of was a place that raised so many girls to become women,” Bush Hager said after the devastating floods struck Texas. “As parents, we think about the horror of sending our kids to a place that is supposed to be – and is – healing, and fun and joyful, and all of the things that kids deserve to have.”
Today with Jenna & Friends airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.
