Love is in the little things.
Perhaps no man has exemplified that better than Texas father Jim Porterfield, whose small act of love for his teen daughter became a viral sensation overnight.
As someone with mental and physical handicaps, it’s truly the only way Jim has known how to display his affection for his children over the past three decades.
Back in 1981, he was tragically hit by a drunk driver and landed in a coma for six weeks. He was never even supposed to wake up.
But not only did Jim defy the doctors’ odds, he also fathered four beautiful children who adore him dearly.
However, his life has not been without challenges, as he deals with ongoing seizures, limited mobility, and severe mental handicaps including short-term memory loss.
But to his kids, this is the only way they’ve ever known their dad since he had them after the accident.
“People say, ‘Do you wish you dad was normal?” said his 18-year-old daughter Morgan. “My dad is normal. He’s my dad. He’s the best dad I can ask for, and I’m proud to call him my dad.”
Times got particularly tough for Jim last year when he lost his job at The Gas Company as a filing clerk, but he didn’t let his own financial struggles get the way of caring for Morgan, his youngest daughter.
The attentive father noticed that she went to Starbucks every day for an iced coffee before heading to her part-time job at McDonald’s.
Soon after, he began collecting change, though the teen had no idea why at the time. About a month later, it all made sense when he presented her with the sweetest little gift that now has the Internet swooning.
“He had been saving up his pocket change and kept it in his cup in his room,” said Morgan. “When I got home from work one day he said, ‘There’s a present for you on my bed.’”
Morgan walked into his bedroom to find a pill bottle filled to the brim with change and a handwritten note that simply read, “$11.19. Coffee money. Love, Dad.”
Pleasantly surprised and heart-warmed, the teen couldn’t help but share her dad’s adorable gesture on social media. Little did she know, the post on her Twitter account with only 40 followers would take on a life of its own overnight.
As some know my dad is mentally and physically handicapped and so especially now that he’s older he’s unable to work or earn an income but he’s been saving his pocket change for the past month for some reason and I thought nothing of it til I came home from work to this today❤️ pic.twitter.com/rdEqu6u8rf
— Morgan Porterfield (@morganp_2018) June 2, 2018
She woke up to over 60,000 likes the following morning!
“I was so confused. I was like, ‘Why is it getting that much attention?’” said Morgan.
GoFundMe
In perusing the comments, she realized the Internet was starving for uplifting stories. Several commenters convinced Morgan and her four siblings to start a GoFundMe page for their dad so they could make a donation.
Jim had no idea about the GoFundMe, but within only a few days, it racked up several thousand dollars. To date, it has reached over $20,000 of its $25,000 goal, and contributions are still being made regularly.
His kids kept the donations a secret until Father’s Day when they surprised him with the amount that complete strangers had raised on his behalf.
“He was confused at first… like, ‘Why?’” said Morgan. “Then he teared up. The things he does for us are just normal for him.”
Jim feels so blessed that the unexpected funds have provided a safety net for him and his family.
Morgan’s hope is that her dad’s simple act can be an encouraging reminder to others:
“No matter what your situation is, there’s no reason not to love everyone and treat everyone with kindness and be the best you can be. My dad is a prime example of that. He doesn’t care about anything but making the people he loves happy.”
