A four-year-old girl with cancer and her father had a tearful surprise reunion after the coronavirus lockdown kept them apart for seven weeks.
Tear-jerking video shows Mila Sneddon and her dad Scott, 50, having their first hug in almost two months after he was given the all-clear to return home.
Mila has been undergoing chemotherapy for a rare form of leukaemia and her weak immune system is vulnerable to infection
Service engineer Scott continued to work during the lockdown, so he the family decided it would be best if he moved out of their home in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, to protect Mila.
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For seven long weeks, they could only see each other through the kitchen window at home and speak through a slightly open door while several metres apart.
They would blow kisses and mime hugs.
In March, Mila appeared in the Mirror and begged Britons to obey the lockdown and stay home so her family could be together again.
Her plea gained support from the likes of Ant and Dec, who recorded a video on Twitter.
She drew a picture of a home with all her family inside “so we can live happily ever after” as people continued to flout the lockdown rules.
Her dad was finally able to reunite with wife Lynda and daughters Mila and Jodi, 16, after he was furloughed by his employer, ITV News reported.
When he stopped working he went into a period of isolation that lasted until he was told it was safe for him to go back home.
He surprised Mila when he returned on Wednesday and walked through the door for the first time since March.
In the video, Scott tells Mila as he stands outside the home: "I'm going to come home today."
With a huge smile and excitement in her voice, she replies: "Today?"
"Right now," her dad tells her.
Scott then walks inside and gives Mila a huge hug as she wraps her arms around him, laughs and then bursts into tears as he kisses her and comforts her.
"Was that a good surprise?" he asks. "I can stay here now."
Lynda, 36, has been taking care of her daughters on her own and taking Mila to her chemotherapy sessions while her husband was forced to be away from home.
Mila, who has lost her hair during her treatment for cancer, has been resilient and inspiring, said her mum, whose grandmother died after contracting coronavirus during the pandemic.
Ant and Dec have since invited her and her family to be in the audience for one of their ITV shows when life returns to normal.
Mila was brought to tears of joy when she was given the news.
She told ITV after finally being able to hug her father again: "Thank you everybody for staying at home."
After coming home exhausted from nursery and being taken to a GP last November, Mila was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
She is on a two-year treatment plan that includes multiple rounds of chemo and blood transfusions.
