Daniel Donaldson couldn’t have asked for a better birthday.
As a youth sports coach in Haleyville, Alabama, Daniel is a mentor to a lot of kids. But there was one in particular with whom he formed a special bond.
Fourteen-year-old Alecia quickly became close to Daniel in the year after they met. So much so that, when he found out the teen was in foster care, he didn’t hesitate to take her in as one of his own kids.
The Donaldson family welcomed Alecia with open arms. They hoped she would eventually want them to adopt her, but they also didn’t want to put any pressure on her to say yes.
Instead, they let her know that it was entirely up to her. If and when she wanted to officially join their family, all she had to do was let them know.
A few months before Daniel’s birthday, Alecia asked his wife Tiffany about starting the adoption process. From there, the two of them, along with Alecia’s three new siblings, began to plan a super special way to reveal the news to Daniel!
In the video reveal, you can see how hard they all worked to make this happen. Blindfolded, Daniel holds up posters explaining what is about to happen.
“This man here started out as just my coach, but he stepped up when he didn’t have to,” one of the signs reads. “He is now not only my coach. My encourager, my protector, my provider, but now the man I call daddy.”
After going through all of the posters, Daniel removes his blindfold to find each member of his family holding their own poster. Alecia’s reads, “Will you adopt me?”
After having Alecia with them for 524 days, it was clear that Daniel was more than ready to say “yes.”
“I will always remember that day and the hug he gave me,” Alecia said. “When he hugged me I felt so happy and safe.”
Watch the emotional reveal in the video below, and don’t forget to share this heartwarming story.
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