Some people live their lives never knowing what a parent’s love feels like.

Jim Mcaskill wanted to be the kind of father that would make his daughter proud, but fate was not on his side.

At age 15, he had learned that his girlfriend was pregnant. They were young back then, not even out of college, so decisions had to be made.

For Mcaskill, the decision was simple.

He was willing to raise his daughter no matter what it took. His girlfriend didn’t agree with him, though. And, without his consent, his daughter, named Devon, was put up for adoption.

Mcaskill didn’t have a choice as things weren’t in his control. All he could do was to agree to see her one last time.

Even though it was outside protocols, Mcaskill was allowed to see his daughter for 10 minutes.

“A nurse took me to a little room, put me in a gown, and brought Devon to me,” Mcaskill tearfully recalled to City News.

“Just this little small pudgy nose and she just kept staring up at you like she knew who I was.”

This was the first (and last) time Mcaskill would see Devon.

But during their 10-minute meeting, the young father secretly removed a set of name beads from around Devon’s neck.

“It was a part of her and it’s something that I would go to the end of the world to give back,” said an emotional Mcaskill

And he intended to do just that – no matter what it took.

For Mcaskill, the next three decades were filled with hope and determination. Even if he hadn’t met her, he religiously celebrated Devon’s birthdays and Christmases. He would write letters without an address to send them. In his heart, he hoped that one day he could share all of his love with his daughter even if decades had already passed.

Mcaskill’s name was omitted from the daughter’s birth certificate. This made his search a lot harder, but he remained steadfast in his mission. He scoured international locators, US adoption searches, and even adoption agencies in Canada.

Everything came up empty.

Then one day, he followed a lead that led him to a “Nicole Stefanick.” He searched for her account on Facebook and could not believe what he saw. When he opened one of the pictures, he immediately started to cry.

Nicole was the “spitting image” of Mcaskill’s highschool ex.

After more than three decades, the father-daughter duo was finally reunited.

Mcaskill couldn’t hold back his tears when Nicole finally hugged him. He gave her all the cards and all the gifts he had bought her throughout the years. He also took the opportunity to return the name beads he had taken so long ago.

It was a promise that he had made and a promise he kept.

Now, Nicole wears the beads as a bracelet around her wrist.

As this father and daughter make up for lost time, we are reminded of how love finds a way to bring people together – no matter the odds and no matter the years.

Watch the heartwarming video below.

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Source: YouTube – CityNews, CityNews, Facebook – Jim Mcaskill