Father Praised For Staying Outside In A Storm To Hold Up A Tree They Planted In Honor Of Their Son
He stayed outside during a storm to make sure their son's tree didn't fall.
@rachelwinans3 / TikTok Arizona was recently hit with a microburst, but that didn’t stop one man from staying outside in the storm in order to save the tree he and his fiancée had planted in honor of their son.
In case you’re unaware of what a microburst is and just how dangerous they can be, the National Weather Service explains that it’s “a localized column of sinking air (downdraft) within a thunderstorm,” where wind speeds can reach up to 100 miles per hour. “Winds this high can cause major damage to homes and other structures and level hundreds of trees.”
Commenters, viewers, and the man’s fiancée herself praised the man for going to such lengths in order to keep the tree standing as people wondered why it meant so much to them.
The man and his fiancée planted a tree in honor of their son who passed away prematurely.
The text inside of Rachel Winans’s video reads, “When the storm hits and you notice the trees are going down... and your fiancé goes outside to hold the tree up you planted for your son who passed away.”
She shows how the storm rages on outside her window — so much water has fallen that their walkway is flooded. The clip flips to a video of her fiancé crouching in their backyard, in the middle of the storm, holding up a tree that’s being supported by a wooden pole.
In the background, you can see just how much the trees are swaying, and it’s clear how much rain is falling, but the man holds his ground in order to protect the tree.
By the end of the video, the storm has passed, and Winans shows the aftermath of the microburst. A tree in their backyard had been felled, but the tree they planted for their son was “still standing strong.”
“Hold that man tight and never let him go!” one of the top comments read. “Now THIS is what LOVE looks like,” someone else commented. “Didn’t expect to be crying over a tree at 8:45 in the morning but here we are,” a third shared.
It’s a touching and moving story, one that Winans didn’t expect to turn into a viral sensation. Noting the newfound fame, she provided people with a follow-up video to explain what happened and why the tree meant so much.
Their son had passed away shortly after being born prematurely.
“My fiance and I want to THANK everyone who has reached out and left such beautiful comments for us to read,” she wrote in the caption. “We didn’t expect our video to blow up the way it did.”
She explained what happened, giving viewers a glimpse of what the tree means to the couple. “A short background. Our son was born prematurely at 24 weeks and 4 days. He was called back to heaven 2 days later,” she wrote.
Winans claimed that her passion in life has always been to become a mom and that he gave her that title.
“When he passed my world shattered and I was ready to leave this world,” she continued. “I couldn’t live without him. But with my incredible MFM she encouraged me to try again. Sure enough, we got pregnant and had his little sister, and I truly in my heart believe he sent her for us.”
The tree they planted is in honor of his life and the meaning he holds in both of their hearts. According to the CDC, pre-term births affect 1 in 10 babies born in the United States — a fairly common occurrence.
In order to celebrate his life and keep his memory alive, she claims “his little sister gets to hear all about him and what this tree means.”
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor for YourTango who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.