There is nothing like a father’s love!
DAndray Thomas’ daughter Brielle was diagnosed with stage 4 nasopharyngeal carcinoma this past February, Yahoo! News reports. The 11-year-old has been undergoing aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments which has caused her to lose all of her hair. After “BriBri,” as she’s affectionately known, came to her Dad’s job to show him her freshly shaved head, he made a decision of his own. In a show of fatherly love, Thomas decided to take a bold step to let his baby girl know that he’ll be there with her every step of the way.
“Immediately after she left I went to the barbershop. I then drove to surprise my daughter with the tribute I made to her by joining her and shaving my head for her cause, letting her know how much I love her and that I’m here every step of the way,” explained Thomas.
In the video, he can be seen cutting off his locs which took him 9 years to grow, a cut Thomas said his barber did for free. He then pulls up to his house with his already shaved locs under his hat and doo rag as if they are still attached. Thomas then tells Brielle to turn around to await her surprise as the child wonders what her Dad could be surprising her with.
He removes his hat as he arrives at the gate prompting a loud gasp from the recorder. As Brielle turns around she too is stuck as she sees her Dad’s shaved head. He hands her the hat with the cut locs and Brielle smiles wide as she hugs her father and thanks him.
The two embrace for a long while as Thomas hugs and kisses Brielle. He shared the touching moment to his social media with the caption, “I’m going through whatever you going through, we’ll go through it together always. There is NOTHING I wouldn’t do for mines. I love you BriBri.”
The video has since gone viral and Thomas has launched a GoFundMe for his daughter. Once she completes chemotherapy and radiation, Brielle wishes to celebrate by going to Hawaii. All money collected through the fund will go towards fulfilling that wish. Thomas also runs the BriBri Strong campaign, selling t-shirts and accessories to local residents in Chattanooga, Tennessee to help fund his daughter’s treatments.
“Your generosity will help with all expenses and excursions to help celebrate this tremendous heartfelt accomplishment. The family thanks everyone in advance,” a statement from Thomas reads on the fundraising sites.
We are sending all of our love and prayers to BriBri and the entire family! To support their efforts, click here.
Cover photo: New heartwarming video shows dad shave his locs in support of daughter battling cancer/Photo Courtesy of @NutNButGuac/Instagram