An elderly homeless man has been reunited with his long lost daughter over Skype, after 24 years apart.
The touching moment brought Jimmy Francis, 74, and Natalie Caler to tears as he told her: 'I love you, it's been a long time.'
The emotional reunion was made possible by a kind-hearted Las Vegas realtor, Jim Snyder, and his wife Maria, who are now raising money to get Francis and California-based Caler together in person.
Mr Snyder discovered Francis hungry and shivering outside a Las Vegas sandwich shop earlier this week. He bought the man something to eat and left. But Snyder couldn't get the image of Francis hunched over in the cold out of his head, so he drove back, picked him up and took him home.
After giving Francis some coffee and a hot shower and washing his clothes, the pair chatted and Mr Snyder learned that the man had been living on the streets for 10 months after his wife left him and he lost everything.
He also learned Francis had battled cancer and nearly died and was trying to reconnect with his six children. Surviving the illness made finding his family more important than ever, Francis told him.
Overcome by the story, the Snyders decided to do everything they could to help.
Francis told Ms Snyder the names of his children, and she searched for them on Facebook.
It didn't take long before she discovered Caler, who fitted Francis' description of the daughter he'd lost touch with years ago when her mother cut off contact. Ms Snyder sent her a message and soon received one back.
The woman told the Snyders she has been searching for her father for many years but didn't have any luck.
'She was so happy to know he was ok but saddened that he was homeless,' Ms Snyder said. 'We were able to re-unite them over the phone for several hours over multiple emotional conversations.'
During those conversations, Francis learned that he had five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren in California, where Caler works as a truck driver.
The Snyders then reconnected the father and daughter on Skype, allowing them to see each other's faces for the first time in a quarter-century.
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TXT 24
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