Pulling off a good surprise can be tough—it takes a lot of planning, patience, and, most of all, faith in your fellow “planners”. That’s why, when a remarkable one occurs, we just can’t fight the urge to share it with everyone we know!

Fifty-year-old nursing school graduate Margaret Pearson wanted nothing more than her son to join her for her commencement ceremony. After all, it was he who encouraged her to go back and finally get her Registered Nursing degree after having to drop out of college some 25 years prior.

Margaret, like so many young moms and dads out there, found herself having to make quite the tough decision—complete her degree or stay home and raise her children. The momma chose the latter, but both she and her family never gave up on her dream of someday becoming a full-fledged nurse.

One of her most vocal supporters was none other than her son, 29-year-old Sergeant Dustin Pearson. Before setting off for a yearlong deployment in both Iraq and Kuwait, he let Margaret know that he wanted nothing more than to see her achieve her dreams.

In an interview with ABC News, the recent grad emphasizes that it was none other than her son who helped her through her toughest times. She says, “Every time I seemed to have a breakdown or something over school, I’d call him.”

Despite some of her struggles, Margaret made it through her program and started planning her big graduation day, which leads us to the most heartwarming part of this tale—the surprise!

She had made plans for her husband to be the one to attach her graduation pin during the commencement ceremony, but the nursing school staff had a different idea: they wanted her son to be the one!

You see, in Margaret’s mind, the sergeant was at Fort Bliss in Texas, where he was stationed after returning from his deployment. But in reality, he was really at his mom’s graduation, hiding out behind the scenes.

The dean of nursing at Rasmussen College-Mankato, Cheryl Pratt, says that once his presence was confirmed, she and the staff had to “change up the program a bit to make it work.”

But all of those last minute tweaks were for good reason! Pratt explains that the nursing grad would get “teary-eyed” when she would talk about her son not being able to attend the ceremony. The staff of the school recognized this and did everything they could to get him out there.

To watch this tearful surprise reunion for yourself, be sure to click on the video below. Judging by the look on Margaret’s face, she clearly had NO idea that her pride and joy would be joining her for this super special moment. How sweet is that?!

What do you think of Sergeant Pearson’s surprise? Have you ever done something similar for a loved one? Are you a member of a military family? Tell us all about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!