A girl who cried every week for her best friend who she had not seen for a year after moving states was given a beautiful surprise reunion when he showed up at a trampoline park she was visiting.
Oaklyn Etter, 6, who is now based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, first met her best friend, Kohlson Segla, 6, when she was just two years old.
The pair met in preschool when Oaklyn’s family were based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and their bond was so close that preschool teachers kept them together right through to graduation.
Oaklyn and Kohlson were like an old married couple, teachers joked, as despite them being the complete opposite – Oaklyn reserved, Kohlson outgoing and the life of the party – they complimented each other.
Having been through play dates, Valentine’s Days, parties and even an unexpected medical emergency together, Oaklyn and Kohlson were then given the news that Oaklyn’s dad had been offered a job that was closer to family.
The move to Oklahoma was extremely tough on Oaklyn, her mom, Ciera, 34, said, as although she made new friends, none of them compared to Kohlson, and she would cry at least once a week for her best friend.
As a year went by, the families agreed that the likes of letters and FaceTime calls had not been enough for Oaklyn and Kohlson, and so they decided to work on a surprise reunion for the pair.
Kohlson’s family were planning a cross-country road trip in May, which would include a surprise stop-off for each of their children.
While Kohlson’s brother would be surprised with trips to the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore, Kohlson’s would be a stop-off to visit Oaklyn.
Cierra and Kohlson’s mom, Leslie, selected a midpoint of Joplin, Missouri, where they arranged to meet at a trampoline park.
Oaklyn thought the park was a stop-off while running a long-distance errand with her mom, but then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar face.
She and Kohlson then headed in for an emotional reunion hug, on May 29, with Leslie and Cierra capturing the wholesome moment on video.
The friends then played together for a couple of hours, before, when it was time to say goodbye, they asked their parents if they could have one final quiet minute to sit together alone.
That gesture, Cierra said, brought everyone to tears, as they watched as their kids stretched out the last few minutes in each other’s company.
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Cierra said: “When we arrived at the trampoline park, she was hiding behind me a bit, holding my hand, still a bit shy.
“Then, we heard somewhere yell out ‘OAKLYN!’ and start running towards us.
“She didn’t miss a second before running to Kohlson and wrapping herself in a hug.
“They didn’t stop smiling or letting go of each other’s hands for most of the afternoon.
“As a parent, it’s so hard to see your child hurting.
“We’ve cried alongside her so many times as she’s talked about missing Kohlson.
“We’ve wondered if we made the right decision to move away, even though we knew it was what would be best long-term for our family.
“We thought she would quickly find another friend like him and that Kohlson would be a friend we remembered fondly.
“They’ve proven to us that this friendship was made to last.
“I’ve never – truly never – seen my daughter light up the way that she did getting to see Kohlson after their year apart.
“They didn’t miss a single beat.
“It filled her tank, and in essence filled ours, too.
“Some friendships are story book – truly meant to be.
“I believe with everything in me, that is the case for Kohlson and Oaklyn.
“I cry everytime I think about how much he means to her and how sweet their reunion was.”
