A single mom struggling with her mental health offered a heartwarming glimpse of just one of the many ways in which her dad shows up for her and his granddaughter when they need him most.
Mental health issues are not always something openly discussed. That's despite the fact, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 23.1 percent of U.S. adults, or 59.3 million people in 2022, live with some form of mental illness.
These illnesses can range from the mild to severe and can hinder the way we live our lives in any number of ways.
Though it is an intensely personal experience, it's important for those living with mental health issues to have a support network in place to help them through difficult periods.
Samantha Holman, from London, is a prime example of just how important that network can be, particularly when it comes to caring for her daughter Aniyah.
"Raising a child as a single mom who suffers from mental health issues would be near impossible if I didn't have my parents and a close network of friends all chipping in to support me," Holman told Newsweek.
Her father, Jonathan, has been central to so much of that. "I am extremely close with my dad, he's honestly a superhero," Holman said. "My daughter adores him, he's 65 but calls himself Peter Pan because he doesn't grow up."
Holman said she had always been something of a "closed book" when it came to her mental health struggles. However, when she spotted her father doing something with his granddaughter on the way to taking her to school, she decided to record a video of it and share it to her TikTok, Samanthabrookex.
As Holman explains in the caption accompanying the video, there are days when her mental health issues mean she "can't leave the house." That's when her dad steps in, not only to walk Aniyah to school but to skip down the street with her.
"My dad skips to school with my daughter every day," Holman writes alongside footage of her father and his granddaughter enjoying their special moment together.
"It honestly melted my heart, my dad didn't even know I was watching or that I was recording. He was just having fun with his granddaughter," Holman said.
At the time of writing, the video has been watched over 400,000 times with viewers offering messages of support to Holman while praising her father's efforts.
"Oh my God this is amazing. Hope you're doing OK. I'm glad you're surrounded by this positivity," one user wrote. "Cherish him... I'd suggest going for a skip with them to the end of the road .. little baby steps at a time," a second said.
A third, meanwhile, commented: "If more people helped each other. God bless your parents mental health is so awful I feel you girl" with a fourth adding: "he's healing his little girl while helping the growth of your little girl."
Holman has been blown away by the response to her video. "I didn't expect it to blow up the way that it did but the comments were honestly so lovely and put a smile on my face whilst going through a difficult time," she said.
She hopes her video shows the reality of life as a parent with mental illness and that "it's OK to not be OK and to ask for help."
English (US) ·