Man Flies Overseas for Surprise Reunion with the Father He's Never Met in Emotional Moment Caught on Camera (Exclusive)
With his partner Cheyenne filming, Moises was spotted meeting his biological father for the first time in a now-viral TikTok
The emotional reunion sparked a new bond, leading to nightly FaceTime calls, deep conversations and a growing relationship with his dad and newfound familyThe airport in Santo Domingo was buzzing with the usual energy, but for Moises, every sound seemed to fade as he rounded the corner for a moment that would change his life.
At 32, he was about to meet his biological father for the very first time — a moment orchestrated in secret, and captured in a now-viral TikTok video by his partner Cheyenne.
'I was excited,' Moises recalls to PEOPLE. 'At the airport, his wife kind of had this whole plan to surprise him. He had no idea we were coming … When I had turned that corner, I didn't really know how to respond, but it was a good feeling. I was excited.'
Moises' journey to this moment was anything but simple. His father had been deported when Moises was just a child, leaving only faint memories and a handful of phone calls.
'My mother would tell me that I spoke to him, maybe like, two or three times as a child over the phone. I don't remember that, though,' he explains. 'But I do remember when I was around 18 years old, he had added me on Facebook, and we spoke here and there throughout the years.'
However, as a teen, speaking with someone behind a screen did not feel like the way to solidify a real relationship. 'I don't really know who this person is, so we didn't talk too much,' he shares. 'So when we did get to meet, that's when we got to catch up and share life stories and really connect.'
The decision to finally meet his father was sparked by a new chapter in Moises' own life — fatherhood.
'I think it's like a mix of a few things, because I'm a father of two daughters now, and ... he wanted to get to know them,' Moises shares. 'So it was kind of one of those things where the opportunity presented itself, and it was like one of those 'Why not?' moments so I kind of just pulled the trigger and did it.'
Preparing for the emotional weight of the meeting, Moises leaned on Cheyenne for support. 'I'm not good at expressing emotions, so I kind of keep it inside. Cheyenne is kind of my crutch, so having her there with me through this experience was really helpful,' he says.
Cheyenne, who filmed the now-viral TikTok, witnessed firsthand the tidal wave of emotions that washed over Moises. 'The overwhelming part that I noticed was the fact that they all knew and loved him because they had seen pictures and heard stories from his mother over the years,' she says.
"And so I think the overwhelming part for him was the fact that everybody else felt kind of attached to him already, but he didn't know any of these people," she continues. "It was exciting, and it was cool to be surrounded by that much love for people that you don't know, but it can be a lot.'
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The reunion was full of surprises, not least of which was hearing his father's voice for the first time as an adult. 'He was born in Haiti, but he was raised in Brooklyn, so he has a really thick Brooklyn, New York accent. And I was like, where did that come from?' Moises says with a laugh.
'But then also looking at the similarities of our body and the different qualities that we share was really interesting … I have brothers that I've never got to meet, two little brothers. And that was really, that was really cool,' Moises adds.
Since meeting his father, Moises has started to realize how their lives intertwined unintentionally. 'Once we started having conversations, I found out we both play the piano. He enjoys reading, I enjoy reading. Just a lot of different similarities that we have,' Moises says. 'He was a decorated boxer before he got deported, and I box. So we had no idea that we shared these common hobbies.'
For Cheyenne, sharing the moment on TikTok was about more than just going viral. 'Seeing this and knowing that there's so many people that could relate to a lot of people that have never met their bio parents,' she explains. 'It was really cool to see how much hope it gave other people.'
The impact of the reunion has rippled through Moises' life, changing his sense of identity and family. 'I feel more reassured in myself,' he says proudly. 'It's one of those things that I didn't think I knew I needed, but now that I've done it, I'm just extremely happy and grateful that I did.'
As for the future, the family's bond continues to grow. 'We FaceTime almost nightly now. And he's been in with my daughters too. It's, it's been cool. We've talked about planning other get-togethers,' Moises shares.
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