Gary aunt mourns aspiring nursing student killed in New Orleans attack: 'Whole life ahead of her'

GARY, Ind. (WLS) -- A family member in the Chicago area is remembering the life of 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, who was killed in the devastating Bourbon Street truck attack in New Orleans this week.

Most of Dedeaux's family lives in Mississippi except for her great-aunt Ahmyryah Israel, who has lived in Northwest Indiana for more than 30 years. She tells ABC7 she's left to grapple with this tragedy weeks before her niece was set to start nursing school.

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Dedeaux's high school graduation pictures are special to Israel, who lives in Gary, Indiana. But pictures of her niece now represent a promising future ripped away.

"She had her whole life ahead of her," Israel said. "It's just everything is lost, right now. She was going to start nursing school, because her mom is a nurse, to push the family tradition on."

That tradition is now broken after Israel says the 18-year-old Mississippi native, who graduated high school last May, had went to New Orleans with friends to celebrate New Year's Eve, against her mother's wishes.

"It hurts me that... she went," Israel said.

What was supposed to be a celebratory night, less than two weeks before the teen began nursing school, ended in tragedy.

Dedeaux became one of 14 people killed when, police say, an alleged terrorist plowed through holiday crowds on Bourbon Street in a speeding truck.

"Can you imagine you have a job, you're an honor roll student, you kept your grades up, you're up for the challenge, but you can't beat this truck?" Israel said. "You can't beat this truck that's coming at you. What is that? Who does that?"

Dedeaux was supposed to start her nursing program at Blue Cliff College in Mississippi on January 13. Her family is now planning her funeral.

Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux's death was originally confirmed to ABC News by her mother, Melissa Dedeaux.

Melissa Dedeaux remembered her 18-year-old daughter as a kind and outgoing young woman who was excited to attend nursing school this year.

"She was a sweet person. She was outgoing, she was very loved," said Melissa Dedeaux, who said goodbye to her daughter for the final time Tuesday night.

Melissa Dedeaux said she begged her daughter not to go to Bourbon Street for New Years' Eve like she had done the year prior. She said she was worried about the danger of the area, and she needed her daughter to pick her up from her overnight shift at work at 7:30 a.m.

When another family member picked her up from work, she said she sensed something was wrong. She said her brother-in-law broke the news to her once she got home.

Melissa Dedeaux said she hopes others remember her daughter as a kind person.

"She was a good person, and even though she was loved by many, it can happen to anybody," she said.

ABC News contributed to this report