A boy struggled to hold back tears when he was surprised by his father during his fifth grade graduation.
For the big surprise, Da’kota’s dad, Lucas, drove more than 2,000 miles to his son’s school in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
As soon as Da’kota, who was standing on stage, made eye contact with his father, he immediately began to well up with pride.
Lucas and Da’kota’s mom, Bree, separated back in 2014, when they were living together in California.
Lucas, a Marine, then headed home to live in Georgia, while Da’kota and his mom moved to Colorado to be closer to her twin sibling.
The parents have remained close, and each summer they head to Florida for a vacation that involves their blended families.
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But ahead of Da’kota’s graduation, Lucas was determined to do everything he could to be there.
Given that he is not a fan of flying, and with air travel costs increasing, the committed dad instead decided to drive more than 2,000 miles to make it to his son’s big day.
This graduation was extra special for Da’kota, Bree said, as he was graduating from elementary school and celebrating the end of a tough couple of years of schooling through COVID.
Speaking of the surprise, Bree said: “We had Lucas sneak in the side after he took his place on stage and let the magic happen.
“Da’kota’s brother, Zachariah, was next to me, also without a clue.
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“He sat next to him and he just started crying happy tears.
“Da’kota is a very special kid.
“He loves with his whole heart, and you can see that from the video.
“Even though they talk regularly and his dad comes to visit when he can, you can see how much his dad means to him.”
Story via T&T Creative Media