Two seven-year-old best friends couldn’t hide their delight when they were finally reunited by complete surprise.
Carson had not seen his best friend, Cade, also seven, for more than six months, following a cross-country move and then the coronavirus pandemic.
But on July 4, in Taylors, South Carolina, Cade was visiting a relative and Carson’s mom, Sarah Bates, secretly helped plan a reunion for the boys.
Sarah didn’t tell her son that Cade was coming to the event, as he knew he would be too excited and wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep for days.
Carson’s mom, Shelley Kirk, took exactly the same approach.
On the day of the surprise, Carson walked up the entrance of the home, and as soon as Cade saw his friend, he immediately ran out to hug him.
Cade then began to cry as the moment got too much for him.
Carson and Cade have been friends since they were two years old, having met at church and been born just 11 days apart.
As their birthdays are so close, the pair used to hold “in between” parties each year, the families said.
In fall of 2019, however, the Bates family moved from the Naples, Florida, area to South Carolina.
Since then, Carson and Cade had only been able to communicate through FaceTime, and the coronavirus pandemic meant travel to visit each other was off limits.
Carson’s mom, Sarah, said: “It’s been hard for the boys.
“I was determined to keep it a secret, knowing that Carson would be so excited, he probably wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep the days leading up to it.
“The reunion was heart-breaking and sweetly precious all at the same time – true friends are one in a million.
“Children are never too young to experience true friendship; we encourage them to love others selflessly and treat others the way they would want to be treated.
“In return, they will form bonds that will last a lifetime, no matter how distant their homes or how frequent their visits.”
Story courtesy of T&T Creative Media
