Death is a part of the journey called life. How a person makes an impact on others and chooses to live their life reveals character, spirit and strength.

Strength is more than lifting weights and engaging in cardio to build muscle. Being a strong individual comes from handling adversity, moving forward from it and using the adversity to become a better person.

Afton Wallace, who died Sunday, May 24, demonstrated those qualities after a yearlong battle with a rare form of cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma. A tribute was held in her honor during Sunday’s events at the Stamm Family Invitational, the day after hundreds attended her funeral service.

“We’re going to swim hard today. We’re going to swim in remembrance of Afton,” said Mathew Mixon, who was Wallace’s swim coach.

Spectators, parents and the Wallace family gathered around Vicksburg City Pool in the events leading up to her tribute. Event No. 88 was swum out of order to allow VSA swimmers peace and closure.

The tribute to Wallace saw fellow friends and teammates swim the 100-yard backstroke, Wallace’s favorite event, around an empty lane. The empty lane carried a white rose in Wallace’s honor.

The splash of water and sniffles associated with crying where the only sounds heard during the emotional event. VSA swimmers not participating in the tribute gathered behind lane No. 4.

When the event was over, Blaine Butler and Carley Copelin touched the wall of the empty lane representing Wallace. With tears in their eyes, they symbolically ended Wallace’s swimming career.

“She’s very supportive as a friend and a teammate,” said Butler. “She always had a smile on her face and never had a negative attitude and if she did she would always come out of it.”

Butler started swimming nine years ago and became best friends with Afton a year later. Butler said as a teammate, Wallace was a great competitor and pushed her to always do her best. Butler would do the same for Wallace and the two even engaged in friendly competitions.

Butler has been out of the pool for eight months as a coach for VSA, but friend Kateoyn Brock switched heats to allow Butler to swim in the tribute.

“It’s unexplainable how someone can change someone’s life so easily. But if anybody deserves to have the strength, courage and wisdom it was Afton,” Butler said. “Even though she’s not here anymore I thank God she’s not hurting anymore.”

Carley Copelin first joined the team seven years ago. At the time she joined, she couldn’t swim and was afraid to put her face underwater. Through the help of Butler and Wallace, Copelin overcame that fear and they helped her train to be a better swimmer.

“She was very nice. If you were upset about a race she would come over and say ‘You know what, get over it. You’ll be okay, everything is fine, good race and do it again,’” Copelin said. Both Copelin and Butler knew it was going to be difficult to swim in her honor but remembered how strong she was.

Copelin told the story about a trip to Vanderbilt University around a year ago.

Wallace was doubled over in pain but would not allow that to keep her from supporting her teammates in Tennessee. Copelin described the pain Wallace was in as excruciating and couldn’t stop tears from rolling down her eyes. Butler added that Wallace was on a pain pump and said there are no words to describe how strong she is.

The phrase “Afton Strong” has been seen around the community and became a philosophy of the Vicksburg Swimming Association.

T-shirts printed with a yellow ribbon with “Afton Strong” written inside were sold at the swim meet. All of the proceeds made from selling the shirts will help fund a scholarship started by her parents.

Dirk Copelin, a parent with VSA, said initially money was raised after Wallace was accepted to BYU to help with getting around campus, but when she passed, the money raised went to incorporating her scholarship.

The Scholarship is to send a student from the state of Mississippi, to Brigham Young University. BYU was Wallace’s dream school and was admitted into the university before passing.

“She’s the type of kid that everybody would want their kids to be like and be around,” Dirk said. “She’s always positive and never said anything mean about anybody. She was very strong with her faith and I think that’s what kept her going as long as she did.”