Janis Higgins believes that Dave Frase was meant to be her dad.
And she found a way to repay him for a sacrifices he made before marrying her mother and adopting her and her brother.
In a video that has been viewed over 6 million times, Frase was reunited with the beloved sports car he gave up to help raise a family.
Making sacrifices
In 1976, when Frase decided to propose to Higgins’ mother, he decided to sell his 1973 Corvette Stingray.
After all, it’s not really a family car.
He had clearly reminisced about the car over the years, because forty years after he made the gesture, Higgins and her husband decided to surprise him with a new one.
Never a stepdad
Higgins posted part of the sweet story on her Facebook page:
“My amazing dad sold his corvette when he married my mom and took on being a dad to myself and my brother. He has never been a stepdad. He is my one and only dad. People always say I look like him.. of course… he was made to be my dad! He did a million things he didn’t have to do He loves me more than many bio dads. He was ALWAYS there for me. No matter what. The things my brother put him thru… I always feared he would quit being our dad. But nope… he just kept loving him.. unconditionally. That takes a special man. With a heart bigger than Texas. He truly is one of a kind. I’m forever grateful to you Dave Frase all the things… YDHT… I love you, dad.”
A big surprise
The reunion of man and muscle car took place after brunch one afternoon.
The family conspired to have the shiny green ’73 Corvette parked in the lot of the restaurant where they were dining.
As they walked out, the car was visible to Frase, who immediately recognized it as the kind of car he once gave up.
Frase started to tell the story of his old Stingray as the family walked over to the vehicle.
He was still completely unaware of what was about to happen.
As he regaled Higgins with tales of his old, identical car, she told him she had a surprise for him.
We’re not sure what he was thinking at that moment, but the statement caught him off-guard as she began to tell him how she knew the car meant a lot to him and that he chose to sell it in order to become part of their family.
Handing over the keys
Frase was stunned as his daughter handed over the Stingray’s keys and told him that the car now belonged to him as a way of saying thank you.
Needless to say, Frase was thrilled and touched that his daughter had gone out of her way to bring this memory back to life.
And he was clearly overjoyed to see his grandson play in the car he was once so proud of forty years ago.
Frase then got a full tour of the car and all of its upgrades and repairs. It was basically in mint condition.
Overwhelmed, he thanked his daughter.
And the cherry on top?
The license plate on the back of the car.
Higgins has a custom plate designed that reads YDHT, which stands for “you didn’t have to.”
What a sweet way to say “thank you.”
Watch the incredibly heartwarming scene in the video below!
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