Kevin Ford, a fast food employee reportedly went viral this month after it was revealed he never missed a day at work for 27 solid years.
The 54-year-old father of four was brought to tears, as he stopped by the Today show on Tuesday where he had an emotional reunion with his daughter and his 3 grandchildren.
when he saw his family, he revealed to co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin that it’s the first time he’s seen them in 4 years.
“I haven’t seen then,” Ford said, hugging his grandkids and wiping his eyes from tears. “I haven’t touched my grandchildren or anything.”
When asked what this special moment meant to the family, Seryna — Ford’s daughter and mom to kids Charlotte, Caroline and Jovonne — told Today,
“It’s a lot to take in, honestly.” “It means a lot,” she said. “It means a lot to us.”
According to reports, Ford has worked at the Las Vegas McCarren International Airport for nearly 3 decades as an employee of HMSHost, a food service company for restaurants like Burger King and Cinnabon.
Last week, a colleague shared a video of Ford on Instagram unveiling the gifts he received from a manager in honor of his 27th year. The gift consists of things like – Starbucks reusable cup, 2 bags of candy, and some movie ticket vouchers. Later on the video went viral on TikTok, with commenters demanding he receive more for his perseverance and dedication towards work .
Afterwards, his daughter Seryna created a GoFundMe page for her dad to show her own appreciation of him.
“[My dad] originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago,” she explained in her post. “Then as our family grew and he remarried, he continue to work here because of the amazing health insurance that was provided through this employer because it was unionized, which got all four of his daughters through high school and college with full healthcare coverage. My dad continues to work here, because though he does look young, he is coming up on retirement age and leaving would cost him his retirement.”
Seryna said in her post she was looking forward to raising just $200 for a plane ticket to allow him to come visit her and her children. Instead, she got $212,962 and counting, with Hollywood actor David Spade even donating $5,000.
“I didn’t have high expectations when I posted it, honestly,” Seryna said on Today, “It definitely exceeded expectations.”
“My dad deserves the world to me, in my opinion,” Seryna added. “My dad gave me the world. My dad made me the person that I am. I love my dad more than I can ever put into word.”
Ford stressed on Tuesday that he was extremely thankful for the generosity of all who have donated.