An 82-year-old father who had always dreamed of seeing the sea received an emotional surprise when his daughter took him there for the first time.
Daughter Anna said that her father Ramon Antonio Taborda had dedicated his whole life to working and putting his family first.
With this focus on financial stability, Ramon, from landlocked Popayan, in Colombia, saw a trip to the sea as a distant dream and a luxury that he couldn’t afford.
After her parents separated, Anna helped her father, and after Ramon suffered an accident in December 2025, she made the decision that she needed to make her father’s dream happen as soon as possible.
Anna had planned a trip to Tolu, on the Caribbean Sea and more than 1,000 kilometers from her home, in March, so she told her father to focus on his recovery but didn’t tell him where they were going.
On March 21, having arrived at their destination, Anna casually asked her father if he wanted to see the sea, to which he jokingly replied that the green stuff he could see was grass.
But as he came around the corner, Anna was able to capture the beautiful moment that he then laid eyes on the large body of water for the first time, taking a moment to take everything in.
What followed was like Ramon becoming a child again, Ramon said, with her father jumping in the water, tasting it to see how salty it was, and looking for shells on the beach.
The pair then went on a boat ride, which was part of a viral video that Anna shared of her dad living out his dream.
She said: “I felt grateful to God for allowing me to fulfill his wish, which was the most important thing.
“He was amazed. He tasted the water to check its flavor and was surprised by how salty it was.
“It was so wonderful to see him explore, enjoy, and look for seashells while he was swimming.
“The response has been overwhelming; his reaction has been very touching.
“His vitality at 82 years old is admirable, as he was running like a child.
“It’s never too late to fulfill our dreams.
“Our parents should be a priority even after we have our own families, to give back a little of what they gave us, and to cherish them while they are alive.”
