Maycee Barber sat on the bar-height chair, microphone in hand, and apologized as the lump in her throat choked out the answer she was trying to deliver. Her eyes welled up, and the tears eventually began to work their way over freely.
Provided with tissues and caringly reminded to breathe by McKenzie Pavacich, Barber smiled and joked, “I think I’ve been holding my breath this whole 21 months.”
It wouldn’t be the only time during the interview that the returning 27-year-old would let her emotions out, but when you’ve been through what she’s been through and kept away from the thing you love for as long as she has, it’s not only understandable, but necessary.