GRESHAM, Oregon — “When he walked in the room, he made everybody smile," said Freta Freedman of her 17-year-old son Bryant. "Very respectful, he’s everybody’s friend."
Family gathered on the front lawn and tears streamed down Freedman's face as she reflected upon the life of her second son, who she also called her "American dream." Freedman moved to the United States from Liberia in 2004.
"As a refugee, when you come from a different country, and you have your first American child it is very important," she said. "So, he was my first American dream."
Now, the Liberian community is rallying around Freedman as she grieves the loss of Bryant. He died two weeks ago after a seven-day stint in the hospital. Bryant was rescued from the Sandy River and never recovered.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office and a rescue team from the fire department pulled him from the water near Dodge Park.
It's heartbreaking for George Pawoh, who said his son would have been starting his senior year of high school.
“Next June would have been a graduation for Bryant and now, I have to look for a place to bury my son," Pawoh said.
Freedman said Bryant left the house that day telling her he was going to a movie with some friends. She's not sure how they got to the river. Both Freedman and Pawoh said Bryant didn't know how to swim, prompting questions about why he was in the water in the first place.
“We just want an answer, you know," Pawoh said.
“Every mom wants to know what happened to their child," Freedman said.
The loss of Bryant is also hitting his classmates at Sam Barlow High School hard. A member of the Barlow community started a GoFundMe in his honor.
"The Bruins family would like to express our heartfelt condolences to his family and hope this small token can ease some of the burden from their shoulders as they navigate through this," the GoFundMe reads.
Liberian kids in the Portland metro area who knew Bryant are also trying to process his sudden death. Euphemia, a longtime friend of Freedman, said many need help understanding what happened and they are looking for counselors who can facilitate that.
"Some of them look at themselves and think it could be me," Euphemia said. "They are all withdrawing."
A friend of Bryant's from middle school drove from across the country to grieve with his family.
“He was just so special to me, he really is my brother," Ty Rus said. The teenager said he talked with Bryant every day over the phone since he moved away from the Portland area.