Having a parent root for you from the sidelines may make all the difference to a child who is participating in sports.
Teenager Jada McGee, who is 13 years old, understands how devastating it is not to have her mother attend her track meetings. The good news is that she wasn’t there not because she didn’t want to be there. This is due to the fact that her mother, Captain Erika Woodson, was on a military mission in a different state at the time.
Erika found it difficult to be away from home as well. It’s well known that military people make significant sacrifices in order to keep their countries safe and secure. Giving up time with their family and friends, as well as missing significant occasions, are two of the most tough choices on the list.
Erika had not seen her family in six months. She was on a three-year military assignment in Anchorage, Alaska, hundreds of miles from their Sacramento home.
“I missed out on my children’s activities since I was apart from them”, she said.
Jada raced track at Edward Harris Middle School.
Due to the distance, the teen’s mother missed every event that season. So, when her champion race neared, she had no reason to expect anything different.
Jada had no idea her mother had prepared an unique surprise…
Near the finish line of her 4X100 meter relay race, a military mother surprised her daughter with a special gift. For the first several days, Captain Erika Woodson had to be very discreet in order to keep her homecoming hidden. She dressed in her uniform so that Jada would be able to recognize her from a distance during the track match. A friend of the family had the chance to record the whole event on camera.
You can watch the video here:
