A Father’s Love Knows No Bounds
He was willing to sit through six exhausting flights if it meant being close to his little girl during Christmas. What wouldn’t a dad do to make his daughter happy?
Christmas: A Time for Family
Christmas is widely accepted as a time to be with your family and celebrate with your loved ones. While everyone deserves an enjoyable break from the stress of their everyday lives, some people, like doctors, nurses, hospital personnel, firefighters, first responders, police officers, military officers, and flight attendants, have to make sacrifices for others. These individuals work in essential services and do not have the luxury of being with their families on holidays. It’s tough, but it’s necessary. Somebody has to make the sacrifices.
A Sacrifice Worth Making
In December 2018, Delta Air flight attendant, Pierce Vaughan, was scheduled to work on Christmas day and the day after. Not only that, but she was also booked to work on six flights each day. Could a schedule get any tighter?
A Heartwarming Gesture
Hal Vaughan, Pierce’s dad, wasn’t going to let her be without any family on Christmas day. In an incredible gesture of true fatherly love, the elderly man booked a seat on every one of Pierce’s flights so he could be with her. If sitting through one flight is difficult, imagine what six in a row would feel like! Mr. Vaughan didn’t care. He may not be as young and strong as he used to be, but nothing was going to keep him from being with his baby girl. He pulled out his savings and sat on planes while he traveled across the United States all through the holidays. And it was worth it. For Pierce, he would go through it all again.
Melting Millions of Hearts
This heartwarming story was shared by Mike Levy, a passenger who had the pleasure of sitting next to Hal on his flight. Levy struck up a conversation with Hal and was shocked to find out why the man was flying to Detroit. Detroit wasn’t his destination. He was right where he needed to be – on that plane with his daughter. Levy got a selfie with Hal and took a photo of Pierce. With their permission, he uploaded their story onto Facebook, and it went viral within a few days. Thousands of people were awestruck by the love between this caring father and his daughter.
A Fantastic Father
Levy captioned his post, “I had the pleasure of sitting next to Hal on my flight back home. His daughter Pierce was our flight attendant who had to work over Christmas. Hal decided he would spend the holiday with her. So, he is flying on each of her flights today and tomorrow around the country to spend time with his daughter for Christmas. What a fantastic father! Wish you both a very Merry Christmas!” 
According to Levy, Hal was still recovering from a serious neck injury he sustained, which had left him quadriplegic for a period earlier in the year. It couldn’t have been easy for him to stand for so long at the airports and shuffle through lines. Levy wrote, “He is still recovering from a neck injury from earlier in the year, which had left him quadriplegic for a period. This was his first trip since the accident. I was amazed and thought he was such a phenomenal father for going well out of his way to be with his daughter.”
Love Transcends Distance
In a later interview with the New York Times, Hal explained why he couldn’t let his daughter spend the holidays by herself. “I just felt terrible thinking about her spending her first Christmas alone, even though she’s 25.” Pierce may be all grown up and independent, but she’s still his little girl.
A Successful Reunion
Pierce was excited at how quickly their story went viral. She shared Levy’s post with the caption: “Dad’s first trip using his benefits was a success! A special thanks to all of the patient, wonderful gate agents around the country and my perfect crew. He made it on every flight and even got first class RSW-DTW (Christmas miracle). [Shout-out] to Mike Levy for being a great first-class passenger & helping us to understand how cool this actually is!” 
The Lesson Learned
Everyone deserves to be surrounded by their loved ones in this season of love and family. There’s so much to be learned from this amazing story. Hal was willing to move mountains to be with his daughter, who couldn’t leave her work. So, remember, you too can do it for someone you love.
