Malaya Grace was “just full of love — and always wanting to help others,” her mother tells
What began as a joyful road trip toward summer camp ended in heartbreak for the Hammond family, when their van was swept into raging floodwaters in Texas on the morning of July 5.
Seventeen-year-old Malaya Grace Hammond, a vibrant, artistic teenager known for her deep faith and love for helping others, gave her life saving her younger siblings as their vehicle was submerged by an unexpected collapse in the road.
The Hammond family — parents Matthew and Liz, their three children Malaya, Khalil (16), Surya (13), and a family friend, 14-year-old Opal Alexander — left their Marble Falls home at 4:30 a.m., heading to a Christian camp in the Ozarks where the kids had spent many summers.
Malaya was particularly excited this year, having just been chosen as a counselor. Her brother was set to begin counselor training, while Surya had prepared to star in a theater production of *Frozen Jr.*
They had rerouted their usual drive due to weather reports, believing the heaviest rainfall was to the north. But within minutes, the van approached a familiar bridge — one they’d driven over countless times.
Except this time, it wasn’t there. Washed away by recent floods, the bridge had collapsed, becoming an invisible death trap beneath the early morning darkness.
“I tried to brake,” said Matthew Hammond, a singer-songwriter and father of three, “but it was too late.” The van plunged into what had become a rushing torrent. As chaos unfolded, the family did what they could to survive — rolling down windows, trying to keep calm.
They were singing “Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory,” a childhood Bible camp song about Noah’s Ark. The lyrics became a surreal echo of what was happening in real time.
Malaya, a certified lifeguard and water safety instructor, was the first out. She opened the van’s sliding door and began pulling others to safety. Her training and instincts kicked in.
As the others escaped through windows or were pulled along by the current, Malaya turned onto her back — a survival position in strong water — and kept singing to stay calm.
“I saw her ahead of me, floating, singing,” Matthew recalled, his voice breaking. “She was calm, strong. I thought, ‘She’s good. She’s got this.’ She was our strongest swimmer.” But that was the last time he saw her alive.
What followed was a terrifying scramble for survival. Liz, a former lifeguard and surfer, nearly drowned after swallowing water and being pulled under, but saw a light above and swam for it.
She managed to backstroke her way to safety. Matthew and Khalil managed to reach a tree and clung to it. Opal, astonishingly, had kept her phone and called 911 while holding onto a tree. Khalil later helped her to shore.
Despite the darkness, confusion, and deafening noise of the flood, the family stayed close and searched. Matthew and Khalil walked the riverbanks, shouting for the girls, praying every prayer they knew.
When they eventually found Surya — cold, shaken, but alive — they rejoiced, hoping Malaya would soon follow. But she didn’t.
Days later, on July 7, Malaya’s body was recovered, wrapped in cedar branches. “She looked so peaceful,” her father said. “So beautiful. I begged her to wake up. I honestly thought — if Jesus raised Lazarus, why not her?”
The tragedy deepened with the news that Marble Falls Fire Chief Michael Phillips, who had joined the search effort, was swept away during recovery efforts and remains missing.
Malaya is remembered as a deeply spiritual, artistic soul — a dancer, singer, and painter who loved hearts and rainbows. Her final watercolor painting hangs in her parents’ home.
In her final moments, she embodied everything her parents said she always stood for: courage, love, and the desire to help others. “She was and is an extraordinary soul,” her father said through tears.
To help the grieving family, friends and supporters have created a GiveAndGo and a GoFundMe campaign in Malaya’s memory.
While their daughter is gone, the Hammonds say her legacy lives on — not just through the lives she saved, but through the love and bravery she showed in her final act.
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