BILLINGS — In the middle of the pandemic, one little girl is getting the best Christmas gift. Abby Hudson reunited with her father for the first time in four months.
“I’m really excited to see my dad, like actually awake. In-person not just through a window,” said Hudson.
Hudson hasn’t been able to hug her dad, Dave Hudson, and have him hug her back since he was taken to the emergency room back in September with COVID.
“They called me about 4 days later saying they were going to put him on a ventilator,” said Abby’s mom, Shelle Hudson.
Dave Hudson’s life has been a roller coaster ever since. Shelle Hudson says her husband ended up not only with COVID, but also severe pneumonia.
She and her daughter could only watch through a hospital window for 20 days as Dave Hudson fought for his life.
“It was the hardest thing ever,” said Shelle Hudson.
Some days were touch and go.
“Between the 16 weeks, they have asked us three times to let him go,” said Shelle Hudson.
Her husband’s health improved several times only to decline again. Things got so bad at one point that 11-year-old Abby was allowed to say goodbye.
“I told him, I was like, please don’t leave me,” said Abby Hudson.
Dave pulled through. Fast forward to Christmas Eve, and a moment this family will forever cherish, after months of missed birthdays, holidays, and other important milestones.
The mother and daughter walked into Dave’s hospital room where they got to see him conscious and alert for the first time.
“This is our Christmas miracle,” said Shelle Hudson.
While Dave isn’t out of the woods yet, things are looking up.
“I have more hope for it,” said Abby Hudson.
A Christmas miracle and gift that this family knows, they’ll never be able to top.
“He’s been a fighter through the whole thing,” said Shelle Hudson.
