MURRAY, Utah — An emotional moment caught on video between a Murray teen and her father has gone viral as the world shares in the girl's joy.
Bree Cox, 14, has Down syndrome, but that didn't stop her from trying out for the Murray High School drill team this spring. When Bree learned she had made the squad, she was able to share the news with everyone in her family, except for one person: her father.
Kris Cox was stuck working late, so when Bree called to let him know, her mother, Kecia, caught it on video and posted the special moment to Instagram.
"Hi, Dad! Guess what! Guess what!," Bree says when Kris answers. "I made the team!"
As Kris congratulates his daughter, Bree starts giggling, smiling, crying and all the other emotions a teen feels when accomplishing a special goal.
Bree will join her older sister, 16-year-old Adrie, on the team next year. According to People, Bree practiced the dance steps her sister performed, hoping she would one day be able to take part for real.
"You fight for your kids with special needs every day, to some degree, because you're their voice," Kecia told People. "So when these little victories happen, you're like, 'Okay, it's worth it. They're seen by somebody and they're valued.'"
"For her to have this moment where she didn't feel different was worth it all for us. And the fact that she could do it with her sister is huge."
Kecia said the emotions Bree expressed on the phone with her dad were ones she had never previously shown.
"She's never felt happy tears before," said Kecia. "She's cried when she's sad. But she was like, 'I'm not sad.' We had no idea that she would get that emotional."
The family told People that even though the video was recorded in April, Bree is still as excited as she was a month ago.
"Our greatest hope is that she never feels like she wants to change the fact that she has Down syndrome, or that she's not good enough because she has this disability," explained Kecia. "Bree is the happiest when she feels like she belongs and she can do something she loves."
