Sometimes, words don’t tell the whole story. We’re grateful to be living in a time when so many special moments are captured on video — and this moment had us reaching for the tissues for sure.
Courtney and Tom Gilmour of Portland, Pennsylvania, had fostered Janielle, 12, and Elijah, 10, for the past three years. The kids didn’t know it, but the Courtney and Tom had just finalized adopting the two children when the family took a trip to Disney World in May.
The Gilmours checked into Magic Kingdom, where each family member was given a button to list a reason for celebrating at Disney — the Happiest Place on Earth.
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“We didn’t have the adoption date until the Friday before our vacation, but once we got it I thought, ‘How cool would it be to give a sign to Mickey?'” Courtney told E! News. “When we got down there we sent out pictures on Twitter of our buttons. Ours said, ‘Adopting Our Kids.’ Theirs said, ‘Getting Adopted.'”
And that’s when the Disney magic really kicked in.
The folks at Disney World’s Twitter account reached out to the family and asked what Disney could do to make the adoption reveal extra special. Courtney thought that meant they might all get a special dessert — but Disney had a bigger moment in mind.
“They e-mailed me… to set up a private meet and greet with Mickey,” Courtney said. She filmed the big surprise moment inside the Town Street Theater — and on July 6, shared the footage on Facebook.
Cue happy cry.
The video is worth watching in its entirety, but in summary, it shows Mickey Mouse bantering with the kids and signing autograph books, then presenting Janielle and Elijah with a sign showing the date May 24, 2017 — their official adoption date.
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Both children immediately burst into happy tears. And we totally didn’t. Nope. Not even one tear.
Almost 2 million people have watched the video, and it’s been shared almost 20,000 times. The Gilmour family is overwhelmed by all the love being sent their way from across the globe.
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Courtney added, “Its [sic] put foster care in a positive light that doesn’t always get shone.”
The adoption is now final and the Gilmours are a relaxed bunch indeed this summer.
“It feels different in that you don’t have to run things by other people, you can make those decisions as a family now. It’s their first real summer and we’re calling it their summer of freedom. It’s amazing to see them live freely,” Courtney said.
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