A 12-year-old girl who survived the Texas flash flood that claimed the lives of 130 people, including 27 young campers and counsellors at Camp Mystic, is now using music to honour the victims.
Skyler Derrington has been attending Camp Mystic for four years, but this year will be one to remember.
Derrington says on July 4, 2025, the sky was dark and the floodwaters rose quickly. She says the girls in her cabin began singing songs to the Lord, and as they sang, the water receded, taking the lives of 27 people at the camp, including the owner.
Derrington is now sharing her story through song. She has taken Leonard Cohen's song and rewritten the lyrics to share her experience.
"I feel like it helps out because it’s just, like, your story but in song form. It can have a message that you can send to other people," said Skyler in an interview with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
After posting the song on social media, it quickly spread with millions of people taking in the video.
On Tuesday, Derrington performed the song live on FOX & Friends in New York City. And following the performance, she was greeted with a surprise visit from her favourite singer, Lauren Daigle.
"Here's the beautiful thing: tragedy happens in so many people's lives, and what you experienced was unbelievable," said Daigle to Derrington on FOX & Friends in New York City. "But you know what? You took the tragedy and you turned it into something incredible. You turned it into something beautiful. That, to me, is so telling of your faith; it's so telling of the hope that you have in Jesus that you could take a tough situation and turn it into something beautiful. So, I just want to applaud you for that."
Derrington says in spite of the pain she faces every day, she says she will lean on her faith to move forward from this tragedy.