The pandemic has been a truly difficult time for people all over the world. It has separated families and in many cases, isolated people from the rest of the world. More loneliness has been felt by some than others, and for one dad who contracted COVID, that loneliness was almost overwhelming.
But after 72 days apart, this dad was declared virus-free and was finally able to reunite with his daughters in an emotional moment that has warmed hearts everywhere.
RELATED STORIES
It was understandably painful for this dad to be away from his young girls.
As Good Morning America reported, 39-year-old Alfredo Hercules was admitted to Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, New York with flu-like symptoms.
However, those symptoms quickly worsened, and a COVID test determined the father-of-two had contracted the virus.
He was in critical condition.
Hercules’s stay at the hospital was extensive as he went from being in critical condition to needing emergency care.
While he battled the deadly virus, he was tragically forced to isolate at the hospital and go months without seeing his daughters Isabel, 9 and Safiah, 7.
It wasn’t until the end of March that Hercules was cleared to go home on a ventilator after much rehabilitation.
Being apart from his family for so long took a toll on this dad. However, when it was time to go, his family and hospital staff gave him a festive sendoff that he will likely never forget.
Everyone could see just how hard he was fighting, and they came together to pay homage to his resiliency.
The picture of him finally hugging his daughters has touched the world.
“When you are away from home for so long, you start to miss the little things you took for granted,” he told GMA .
He added that he’s now looking forward to celebrating his daughters’ birthdays, digging in to a homecooked meal, and basking in all this beautiful Spring weather.
Let us know what you think of this story in the comments and if this emotional reunion impacted you.
h/t: Good Morning America