A teen’s jaw dropped when his hard-working sister, who secretly saved up the money she made from starting her own salon, surprised him with his first car for his 16th birthday.
Kala Decker, 21, from Lexington, Kentucky, has always been a workaholic, her mom, Drea, 49, said – a trait she gets from her dad, Steven.
Unfortunately for the family, Steven suffered a shoulder injury four years ago, causing him to go onto disability benefits, so Kala and her brother Tanner had to step up and help the family where they could.
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Kala’s ultimate goal was to open her salon one day – and having done so by the age of 20, she decided she wanted to save up some of the money she had been making to buy her brother a car.
Having sourced a vehicle, the 21-year-old then helped plan a 16th birthday party for Tanner, which she planned to surprise him with at the party itself.
On November 25, at Sedona Restaurant, in Lexington, Tanner opened his presents from family and friends, before Kala presented her gift last of all.
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Tanner opened a box to discover a set of car keys, which caused the teenager’s jaw to drop before he wiped away tears and gave his older sister a loving hug.
Kala then walked Tanner outside the restaurant, where he came face to face with a 2011 Nissan Altima, which was wrapped in a large red bow.
As the car had been purchased about a month before Tanner’s birthday, it had been parked in their neighbor’s driveway without him even knowing.
Drea said: “Kala opened her salon in 2024 at 20, not knowing where it would go, and she saved up her money and bought this car, and Tanner will never take it for granted.
“She did this because she knows that her dad and I have been through a lot, and we love them so much. Our love carries through to our kids.
“I knew he would be excited, but I was totally shocked in how moved he was, and his reaction was something that I will never forget.
“His happiness, his joy and his surprise are something that I’m so glad we got on video because it was truly the sweetest thing ever.
“I think what others need to take away from the video is that it doesn’t have to be something fancy, because this car is a 2011 and he still loves it, and he understands that Kala bought this from her heart.”
