Thanks to the power of social media, homeless man Daniel Morales has reunited with daughter Sarah Rivera after a decade apart.
Twitter’s a great way to follow your favorite celebrities and discuss what you had for dinner. But now, it’s proven its worth as a valuable tool for reuniting family members after years apart.
Daniel Morales, 58, resides in a homeless shelter in New York City. Three weeks ago, he was given a mobile phone to take part in a new project called “Underheard in New York,” which aims to give voice to the homeless community. He quickly joined Twitter and amassed over 3,000 followers.
At first, he Tweeted about his day-to-day happenings—but as people took notice of him, he realized the platform could have the power to help him achieve his greatest wish: locating his 27-year-old daughter, Sarah Rivera. “Hi thi is to let yo people know that in lookin eoq my daughter her name is sarah m rivera,” he Tweeted last week, following up the message with a photo of his daughter.
One of his followers looked up the woman’s name, and soon found her Facebook profile. He sent her a message to say that her father was looking for her. Rivera immediately responded. She hadn’t seen her father in 11 years, and was eager to reunite with him.
“It’s been rough not having my father, to be honest,” she told CNN.
Last Friday, she flew from California to New York City to see him, bringing along her two young children. It was Morales’ first opportunity to meet his grandchildren.
“This is an awesome moment,” he said. “I am rejoicing.”
Follow Morales on Twitter, and check out the video below.