ANAHEIM, Calif. (WRIC/WABC) — A Christmas wish came true early for the 5-year-old daughter of a U.S. Marine after a touching surprise at Disneyland on Monday.
Abigail Demo’s wish list was already completed as she waited in line to see Santa.
“I wished for my daddy to come home,” Abigail said.
She stopped to make the request at a wishing well at Disneyland on her way to see Santa Claus.
Her 34-year-old father, Brian Demo, has been deployed for seven months. It’s Brian’s fifth deployment, but his first time away from Abigail.
Santa told Abigail about Christmas magic just before her dad appeared. St. Nick had the girl ring a bell to make her wish come true.
What she didn’t know was that her dad was hiding around the corner. He had made it home earlier than expected.
“It was worth it. It was an amazing surprise and to see her sweet little face it was perfect, said Jennifer Demo, Abigail’s mother.
The surprise was in the works for several months. Abigail’s dad emailed Disneyland with his idea to surprise his daughter after returning to the U.S.
“She looked very surprised, which was perfect,” Brian Demo said with a smile on his face.
“I’m so happy to see him,” Abigail said after her big surprise.
Much has happened in seven months as Abigail’s father can attest.
“She’s a lot taller than I remember,” he said.
And Abigail’s mother had a surprise of her own for dad when he arrived Sunday night. She’s been working out and dropped 80 pounds while he was gone.
“I picked him up down at Camp Pendleton and we got to have a date night, just the two of us, which was wonderful before I have to share him because I don’t think she’s [Abigail] going to let go of him now,” she said.
