TikTokTime to bust out the dancing shoes!
Father of the year, Chris Askew has has a rough few weeks to say the least. After his wife, Danielle Askew, gave birth to their newborn son Dylan 10-weeks premature due to a pregnancy complication called partial placental abruption, Chris decided to await his son's arrival home by dancing his way through it.
The father of four is releasing one dancing video each day his son is in the NICU, and he's now up to day 22. The father of four sat down for an interview on The Today Show to talk about his son, and why he decided to turn his wait into viral content. He wanted a way to cheer his son on and to connect with other parents who may be going through a similar struggle.
"Dylan's had a couple of bad days, but for the most part it's been really positive," Askew told TODAY Parents. "We just passed 21 days in the NICU, and we were two days in when I started my dancing. They haven't set an exact date when he'll be able to come home, but they're projecting maybe another two to three weeks."
While staying at the Ronald McDonald House near his son's hospital in Orlando, Florida, Chris decided to post his first video. Like many overnight viral videos, he had no idea what would await for him when he woke up in the morning.
"I posted it and went to bed," he shared. "I woke up and I had like 400,000 or 500,000 views. And then the messages started coming in—there's been an outpouring of support for my family, and it's also helping other people somehow. People are thanking me and sharing their NICU success stories...it's helped some families who lost babies in the NICU get through a tough situation and smile. I figured as long as that's happening, I'd keep dancing."
He's danced practically everywhere. From short videos with his colleagues and fellow firefighters, to taping a video dancing with the Orlando Magic basketball dancers. Chris' wish for these videos is a small but noble. "When this started, I really didn't have a mission for it or a plan," he shared. "But now I've seen that it helps people and makes them smile, so I'm going to spread that out as much as I can to everybody."
We're rooting for you, Chris and Dylan!