15-year-old Jori Knauf traveled to Indian Land, South Carolina this August to visit her childhood friend, 16-year-old Sultana Kotrides.
Except he didn’t tell her he was coming, and when he finally did, he was disguised as a FedEx driver.
As you can see in the video above, which has been viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube as of Friday afternoon, Sultana was completely and utterly shocked.
Sultana’s father, John Kotrides, captured the moment Sultana recognized her boyfriend, who she hadn’t seen in over a year. Realizing that the courier was indeed her friend Jory, she fell at his feet before wrapping her arms around him for a long hug amid an emotional and surprising reunion.
John says Sultana and Jory became friends in preschool in the same neighborhood. They remained close until Sultana moved south in seventh grade. Jori remains in Chile and Sultana was a former student in the Gates-Chili Central School District.
The families kept in touch and visited each other often, John said, but the pandemic prevented that annual opportunity this summer, or so Sultana thought.
John said both families thought the kids could use some positivity during a tough year, and he added that both families had been tested for the coronavirus before the planned reunion.
The video has since gone completely viral, with over 10 million views on YouTube, and has been featured on Fox News, the Today Show, and other media outlets.
John says Jorie and her mom were able to visit for a week before returning to New York.