A heartwarming video shows the moment a woman asks her stepfather to adopt her after 17 years.
Lindsey Collins met Mark High about 17 years ago when he arrived at her house to take her mother out on a date.
From the very beginning Mark made sure to get to know the then-nine-year-old.
As Mark’s relationship progressed with Lindsey’s mom, Jamie, he became a father-figure to Lindsey.
For Father’s Day this year Lindsey Collins decided to ask her stepdad Mark High to adopt her. A heartwarming video captures the moment he sees the adoption papers
He breaks down in tears when he opens a box and sees the papers. Lindsey said she’s never seen him cry so much
‘He took on the role of being my father without hesitation and our relationship only got better over the years,’ she said in a Facebook post.
When Lindsey, now 26 and living in Long Beach, California, was trying to figure out what to do for Mark on Father’s Day, she decided to finally surprise him with adoption papers.
‘We had talked about adoption in the past, but nothing ever came to fruition. In the last couple years my stepdad and I have become closer than ever,’ she said.
The video shows him opening a pink box and searching through striped tissue paper.
He starts to unwrap the papers and looks shocked when he realizes what they are.
He breaks down in tears with his face in his hands, overjoyed by the gesture.
‘My stepdad is a tough construction worker and I’ve never seen him cry this hard. It was such a special moment and I’m glad it was caught on camera,’ she said.
Lindsey Collins, pictured, said that Mark was one of her best friends
‘It is never too late. If anything ever happened to my mom, their marriage is the only thing that signifies that we’re connected,’ Lindsey told LifeDaily.com. ‘I wanted to be his daughter.’
‘I was totally surprised,’ Mark said about the moment he unwrapped the adoption papers. ‘I lost it, because I always wanted to be her father.’
‘He’s genuinely one of my best friends and has done so much for our family,’ she said. ‘I feel like I should’ve asked him to adopt me years ago, but the saying is better late than never, right?’