COVID-19 has been keeping families apart for months. But the deadly virus couldn’t keep Coley Harvey away from his parents. After Harvey tested negative, he made the trek from Chicago to Atlanta to see the couple. A heartwarming video shared on Twitter via USA Today’s Humankind account captured the moment of surprise. 

Harvey, a sideline reporter at FOX Sports, hadn’t seen his parents in almost a year. The Atlanta native acknowledged that he was cautious about traveling, but the distance and time apart had taken a toll on him. Before the pandemic, Harvey’s parents would typically travel to the various locations his job took him.

The reporter decided enough was enough and took a COVID-19 test so that he could make the trip home. He filmed the moment he entered his mom and dad’s home through the kitchen.

His father was the first to see him yet he managed to keep his composure under wraps for a few seconds until his mom caught on to the surprise. That’s when his mother turned around, saw her baby and joyously yelled. 

Laughs, smiles and high fives were abundant as Harvey immediately requested his dad’s tasty shrimp and grits, and, of course, his dad obliged.

The sports reporter reflected on the short reunion with gratitude. He spoke about the honor of surprising his parents while others have lost their loved ones to the deadly virus. 

The secret reunion garnered positive reactions on Twitter.

One Twitter user told the reporter that he had a lovely family.

LaMorris Crawford let Harvey know that he looked like his mother.

But Harvey's dad stole the show with his Tuskegee baseball jersey.

Another Twitter user also praised his dad’s jersey. 

Harvey also said he gave his dad a much-needed haircut during his visit back home. 

“And yes, I lowered my Dad’s ears during this trip,” he wrote.

Harvey’s gutsy trip inspired one Twitter user to do the same.

A study by the Journal of Family Nursing in May reported that the onset of COVID-19 had disrupted families throughout the nation. The added lockdown and quarantine measures forced families to refrain from seeing individual family members for extended periods. The result is rising mental health concerns for affected individuals. 

Although video chats and phone calls have played an enormous role in keeping people in contact with one another, nothing replaces physical touch. 

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