An adorable toddler perplexed by a familiar voice from outside excitedly leaps into her military dad’s arms as he arrives home after seven months apart.
Derick Nazario, 25, a Private Second Class in the U.S. Army, left home in March 2020 for basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, before being moved to Colorado months later.
While Derick was away from their Florida home, his daughter Skye, aged three, missed him a lot and cried for him at night, revealed her mom Naiomy Cores, 24.
When Naiomy knew Derick was due home, she travelled to her mom’s home in Frisco, Texas, as it was equidistant between Florida and Colorado and the perfect place to surprise Skye.
On October 16, 2020, she greeted Derick at the airport before taking him to her parents’ house, where she headed into the kitchen to find Skye.
Naiomy waited as Derick called out “My Beautiful Skye” – a name only he has ever called her.
As expected, Skye looked a little confused, hoping to be able to see where the recognizable voice was coming from as her mom recorded the moment.
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Then, as Derick entered the room, Skye yelled out, ‘Papa!’, darting to lovingly embrace her father once more.
Though the moment took place in 2020, Naiomy did not share the footage until February 2021 in a throwback post on social media which quickly went viral, receiving millions of views.
She said: “I felt like crying when I saw her reaction because I knew how much she missed him.
“After all the nights she went to sleep crying out for him and finally they were going to sleep together again.
“It was so overwhelming – in a good way – and also happy, because I was able to record that perfect moment so we can always have memories of what true love and a true bond looks like.
“We are both in shock still with the reactions online and the video going viral, because we didn’t expect it to be seen by so many people around the world.
“I am very, very thankful for the positive comments and good vibes sent our way because of the post.
“I just hope that people see that, even during these times, we can still hold onto those we care about and love, because that’s what really matters.”
Story courtesy of T&T Creative Media