CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio (WSVN) — It’s a Christmas present that brought one father in Ohio to tears.
Makayla Dabney, 18, said she thought long and hard about the perfect gift for her stepfather Stephen, who had raised her since she was 5 years old.
“I had a dream that I asked him to adopt me,” Makayla said. That sparked an idea for the priceless gift: “My Christmas present to him was adoption papers.”
She had a family member record the touching moment as her stepdad opened his gift: adoption papers in an envelope.
“You have been my dad for over 14 years,” she told him. “When you met my mom… You took me in as your own, you didn’t care that she had a daughter.”
That’s when Makayla said the words that brought Stephen to tears: “I was wondering if you would adopt me.”
She continued, “[It’s] long overdue. I’m changing my name and everything. You’ll always be the number one man in my heart, and I’ll have your last name until someone takes mine.”
Stephen broke down crying as he hugged Makayla, while the rest of the family applauded.
“It was very memorable and exciting because I had something so big planned and only a few family members knew about it,” she told Fox 8 about the surprise.
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