Special Father's Day for daughter reunited with dad she thought was dead

A Mississippi woman and her dad – who she once thought was dead – are spending their first Father's Day together after decades apart.

Since she was 10 years old, Cindy McKay believed her father was dead, according to WDAM. But that all changed last year when she found a Facebook profile for Bruce Edward McCarty Sr. She messaged him and asked if they were related.

Then came the shocking news: McCarty wasn't just any relative; he was her father.

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"For 25 years, I thought he was dead," McKay told WDAM. "He thought all this time that I wanted nothing to do with him."

The pair has reconnected over the past year, meeting once a week. But this weekend is extra special: Sunday is their first Father's Day together – and it's McCarty's birthday, as well.

"I love my daddy," McKay said. "Don't ever give up on hope on those that you have lost."