Gah, we’re not able for this loveliness! Grab yourself a family pack of tissues before reading any further – trust us, you’ll need them.
In one of the sweetest stories we’ve seen in a while, an 18-year old surprised his step-dad on his 40th birthday with adoption papers.
Damian gave his stepfather Robert Mitten – who has been taking care of him since he was two – the papers as a ‘present’, and his reaction was amazing.
Setting up the adoption was a collaborative effort that took a lot of planning to come together, says Damian’s mum.
“His biological dad left the picture since he was that little and Robert has been taking care of him since then as his own,” she says.
“It took us a long time to do the adoption process because we weren't sure if the biological father would pop his head back in to cause more of a setback so we thought it was best to wait until Damian was 18. Damian always wanted Rob as his father because that's all he knew growing up.
“Damian turned 18 in August and with the help of my family and Rob's family (secretly pitching in the funds for the adoption) the family was able to get together for Rob's 40th birthday on September 2nd to surprise him. It's been a very long wait but we finally made it happen.”
That hug at the end! Sobbing!
