Mesa, AZ — A Mesa boy’s loving message to his firefighter dad is melting hearts.
Three-year-old Case Hughes and his mom Katie snapped a photo of him holding a sign, asking everyone to join him in wishing his dad, Brandon, a happy Father’s Day.
The Hughes family wasn’t able to be together this weekend because Brandon is a wildland firefighter. He’s battling a massive fire in New Mexico, reports KPHO/KTVK.
The sign said, “My dad is a wildland fire fighter.[sic] He is currently fighting the Dog Head Fire in New Mexico. Please help me wish him a Happy Father’s Day!”
Case Hughes wishes his dad Brandon a happy Father’s Day. (Source: Katie Hughes)
They were more than 400 miles apart but the heartwarming message was heard loud and clear. Katie was able to talk to Brandon about the gesture.
“It meant a lot to him,” Katie said. “He kind of welled up with tears and pretty much just said I’m not supposed to cry on the fire line and kinda brushed it off from there. But it meant the world to him.”
She posted the picture and tagged a few news stations. That’s when the calls started to come in about her story.
People also messaged Katie and offered up support for the family.
“To be able to reach out to him and to be able to get the feedback from so many people that are out there praying for him and the rest of the firefighters was just overwhelming to me,” Katie said.
Brandon has been in New Mexico since June 14. He fought a wildfire in Arizona earlier in June and has been gone most of the month.
“Just to have him know that we love him and appreciate what he’s doing is pretty awesome,” Katie said.
