“To Kelsie, the day started out no different than any other—she was just one of the pack, participating in the No Sun Fun Run on Jan. 19 in South Hill, WA. But on that day, she got a special gift that made that foggy day a whole lot brighter: her mother, home from a deployment in Afghanistan.
Kelsie has been staying with a guardian while her mother was deployed and everyone wanted to surprise her after she passed the finish line, said Andrea Clay, recreation supervisor for Pierce County Parks and Recreation.
“This is our fourth deployment as a family… and this was our way of ending our year with [Kelsie], to surprise her and show her how much we love her,” said Kristin, Kelsie’s guardian.
In the end, the smiles and joy in this film capture it all.”