Father-son reunion reveals why Down syndrome is really an ‘up’ syndrome (Video)

The love, positivity, and sheer joy here is moving.

There is something so beautiful about a strong father-son bond, but the recent viral video of Matt Cobrink greeting his dad, Malcolm, at LAX airport after a five-day trip away not only made our hearts melt but made us want to grab our own fathers in appreciation for everything they do.

Matt, who is 53 and has Down syndrome, was invited to fly out to meet Aaron Judge, his favorite baseball player who plays for the New York Yankees. Although this was an exciting opportunity, it meant that he had to leave his dad at home — something he’d not done very often in the 25 years since his mom had died.

So on his return, Matt was beside himself with love and affection when he spotted his beloved dad, who’d come to meet him at the airport. Luckily big sister, Marcy Cobrink Mayer, was on hand to capture the moment, explaining to People that she wasn’t surprised by this show of affection from her loving brother, saying “He’s just really very loving and happy to see everybody.” In the video Matt nearly knocks his 88-year-old dad over as he showers him in kisses while holding him tight. But what is extra cute is dad’s look of love and gratitude, while still being totally in father mode and reminding his son he needs to shave.

When Marcy posted the video on Facebook, it garnered nearly 100,000 “loves” and we can see just why: it’s a story of love, positivity, and as she shared, it gives hope to others who have relatives with Down syndrome. She states: “We want to let people know that it’s really not Down syndrome, we call it ‘Up syndrome’.”