The last few months have been tough on everyone and continue to test the resolve of those helping to protect the public’s health by following social distancing guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19 and get it out of our lives once and for all.

But as it stands, it looks like there will be more years of cycling through outbreaks and more public health recommendations and rules to come.

People around the world have had to cancel some of the most important moments of their lives over the last 6 months, but even more have had to put smaller celebrations aside. It’s been hard on everyone’s mental health.

Something as simple as a birthday (which, let’s face it, happens every year) can be a way for friends and family to show how much they love you.

But while the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to many of those plans, it couldn’t stop people from doing the important part.

After a certain age, birthdays aren’t about streamers and gifts and parties, necessarily. But they are a person’s special day – and from socially-distanced parades to virtual get-togethers, friends and family have still found ways to send their love.

But for 57-year-old Julio Cesar Segura, that just wasn’t going to work. The El Paso, Texas realtor wanted to make a grand gesture by showing up for his daughter Diana Segura Lerma’s 19th birthday on May 8th.

By that time, Texas had largely lifted the travel restrictions that would have kept him home and the state had partially opened restaurants and other businesses. Unfortunately, that led to a large bump in COVID-19 cases, but it did allow the determined dad to make the long trek to see his girl enter the last year of her teens.

All that was standing in his way was about 500 miles – because Diana lives in Austin, Texas where she attends school.

Yep, Texas is THAT BIG.

Whether you drive East to West OR North to South, a trip across the state takes about 10-13 hours!

Dad’s trip would be approximately 576 miles and take him 8 and a half hours – and that’s just one way.

Even more challenging is that he wanted to make it a surprise for his little girl. So instead of telling her about the trip, he made it sound like he was going to continue a beloved father-daughter tradition from a distance.

“He told me that since he couldn’t do much he wanted to know what I’d like for lunch and he would send an Uber Eats order,” Diana said. “I texted him what I wanted — the chicken fillet sandwich with pepper jack cheese, buffalo sauce and mayonnaise.”

Diana said he’s brought her that sandwich for lunch each and every year on her birthday and has never missed a year – 2020 would be no different.

The determined dad had decided that night before that he was going to make the big trip, which required an early morning wake-up – 3:30 am, to be exact.

This was going to be a 1-day, 17-hour road trip.

“I left my house at 4.15 a.m.. I was missing her and I wanted to give her a surprise. I decided to go the day before. I love her and I wanted to make sure she had a good birthday.”

And that’s precisely what happened. A safe trip was followed by a shocked and excited greeting.

“He showed up with the food and a poster board and balloons. I was so excited. I haven’t seen him in months, since winter break. I didn’t think that I would see him again until August,” Diana said.

Of course, he didn’t go inside – and he couldn’t give her a hug. After all, he had just been at gas stations and fast-food restaurants all along the way. But the goal was simply seeing his daughter, even if it was for just half an hour before he had to turn around and leave again.

“We went to a little terrace and there were chairs that were really spread out,” she said. “We ate several feet apart.”

The toughest part for Diana was not being able to give him a big hug.

“He has always been someone who loves gestures, but I never imagined he would do this in a pandemic,” Diana said.

But what wouldn’t a dad do for his daughter?

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Source: Good News Network, Fox 6 Now, PEOPLE