A man gave his brother who lost his job a beautiful surprise when he flew in his teenage son for Christmas.
33-year-old Aaron Camphor was devastated his son, Ammel, 14, would not be with him for the holidays because of cost and circumstance – but Aaron’s brother, Brandon, 37, decided to step in.
Aaron lives in Lake Mary, Florida, whereas Ammel lives with his mom in Phoenix, Arizona.
Ammel’s parents rotate holidays – meaning the 14-year-old spends every other school break with his father.
For Christmas, Ammel was scheduled to be with Aaron, but after his father lost his job earlier in the year and went through financial hardship, he had to accept that he couldn’t afford the roughly $600 one-way flight, Brandon said.
Hearing this news, Brandon – who also lives in Lake Mary, Florida – reached out to Ammel’s mom and said that he would like to secretly pay for his nephew’s flights.
The pair then hatched a plan so that Ammel would arrive in Florida the morning of Christmas Day to surprise his father.
On the day itself, Brandon and Aaron gathered at their brother Corey’s home, along with their family.
When it came to time to exchange gifts, Brandon stood up in front of the family, before presenting his brother with a loving note.
As Aaron was faced with the special words – “A gift for you. Christmas Day, Your Son.” – Brandon texted Ammel, who had been hiding outside, to enter the room.
Family members then started screaming and looking around in shock.
Amel entered the room, where his stunned father headed towards him for an emotional reunion hug.
Brandon said: “Aaron stood up and I gave a speech to set up the sentiment behind the gift he was receiving and handed him his card.
“While he began to open his card, I sent a text message to Ammel to come in the house through the back door.
“I had Aaron read the card out loud which read, ‘A gift for you. Christmas Day, Your Son,’ and I walked away to go retrieve Ammel.
“When I walked back in the room with his son everyone went into a frenzy of disbelief, shock and excitement.
“I was so happy to see him happy.
“The entire day there was an overcast of sadness as you could tell he wished his son was with him.
“To give him that special moment made me proud to be his big brother and that his happiness is a priority of mine.
“I know he knows I’ll always have his back.”