A teen sprinted through school and into the arms of her military cousin after he returned from deployment and surprised her.
Mya Cahill, 17, from Jeffersonville, Indiana, hadn’t seen cousin Paul, 20, for eight months while he had been stationed in Europe with the U.S. Navy.
It was Paul’s first deployment since he joined the Navy in 2020, and the separation was tough on his family and especially Mya after the pair grew close following her mother passing away in 2015.
Once Paul got the news his deployment was ending, he told his stepmom, Tiffany, that he wanted to surprises his family members when he arrived back in the U.S.
So on April 28, with Tiffany’s cellphone camera rolling, Paul headed to Jeffersonville High School, where Mya was told a counselor would like to speak to her.
As she made her way down the hall, Paul then shouted his cousin’s name, causing her to shout “He’s home!” and sprint down the hall before leaping into Paul’s arms.
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Tiffany said: “Having our son home and knowing he was safe was the best feeling ever but seeing all his siblings and cousins reactions was priceless.
“It just goes to show how deep the bond of family can be – that even as parents, when we miss our children, their cousins and siblings can miss them just as much.
“I still sit here and watch the videos, and although I try to hold the tears back, I can’ – I don’t think it will ever get old.
“We have tried our hardest to raise our children to believe in family first and seeing their reactions helps me feel as if at least I’ve done something right.”
