Of all the debilitating diseases and illnesses that can rob our loved ones’ health, those that affect the mind are often some of the most difficult for families to observe.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, incurable illness that affects memory and mental function by means of degeneration and ultimately death of brain cell connections and then the brain cells themselves.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans currently suffer from the disease, with it being the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S., killing more people than breast and prostate cancers combined.

Olivia Salza’s father is one such individual afflicted by the awful condition, and whose mental function has slowly been deteriorating for the past few years. Some days he cannot recall the names associated with faces of his loved ones, and other days he has brilliant and beautiful moments of clarity, which are treasured gifts to his family.

Olivia and her husband Nick had been struggling for three years to conceive, a challenge her father can recall at times. Olivia has a child from a precious relationship, but she and Nick desperately wanted to grow their family with another baby.

When she and Nick finally conceived, she couldn’t wait to tell her father that he would be a grandpa again. The couple visited her dad in the hospital where a Olivia asked him a few questions to ensure he was lucid enough to understand the news she was about to share with him.

Confident that her dad is having one of his good days, she announces to him that she and Nick are finally going to have a baby, and her dad immediately breaks down in an emotional reaction. Nick captured the touching moment on video, which quickly went viral on social media.

In the video, her dad’s memories of the birth of his own daughter came flooding back as he described to Nick the incredible moment he will get to hold his baby in his arms. Watch the touching video below!

 

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