A dedicated dad who never missed a single one of his daughter's games, matches, races or track meets struggled to hold back tears as he peered inside a surprise softball full of photographic memories. For Amanda Gardner, 18, from East Texas, her father Gary, 53, was not only her biggest supporter, but also her coach. Gary was the kind of selfless dad who would make it to every track meet, while he and his wife, Melissa, were up at 5am to cook breakfast for teams and set up tents on race days. This kind of generosity did not go unnoticed between Amanda and her sister Kayla, 25, who has since left home to work as a Disney performer, in Orlando, Florida. Kayla's athletic career ended in 2020, too, as she headed off to college to focus on her studies. But the 18-year-old wanted to do something special to surprise her dad. And so, having collected a selection of images from her childhood – at softball games, hugging her father courtside, and so on – Amanda began working on her unique thank you gift. Having made a peephole in a hollowed-out softball, Amanda then added the images. On December 26, 2020, the 18-year-old presented Gary with the gift, with Kayla capturing the moment on video. The emotion of the moment got to Gary – something which is extremely rare, his family said. As he held back tears, Gary pulled Amanda in for a warm embrace.